Unexpected Surprise
by LostCullenFamilyMember
Summary: When Edward leaves Bella in New Moon he doesn't know he didn't just leave HER behind. He also left someone ELSE behind. Summary sucks, I know, but if anyone is able to help with it, I'd appreciate it. Please R
1. Chapter 1: I Have Something To Tell You

This is my very first Twilight fanfiction. All reviews and comments are greatly appreciated. I do not own Twilight, Bella or Edward (though I wish I did lol). So read, enjoy, and REVIEW please.

It had been a week since my birthday party.

A week since the accident with Jasper.

A week since I'd seen Edward. He hadn't been at school since the accident. None of the Cullens had been.

So I was surprised when his name popped up on my cell. I immediately answered it.

"Hi." I said very excited.

"Hey, can I come over?" He asked. But his voice sounded weird, almost dead.

"Yeah sure, I gotta talk to you anyway." I said, trying to hide my excitement.

"That's why I'm coming over. I'll explain when I get there." And then he hung up the phone.

I quickly ran to the bathroom and brushed my hair and my teeth. I wanted to look as good as I could for him. I had something big to tell him today.

I just finished putting on my shoes when he knocked on the door. 'that's weird', I thought, 'usually he just walks right in.' I ran to open the door. When I opened the door he looked sad.

"Hey!" I said as I kissed him.

"Hi." He said after I pulled away.

"What's wrong?" I was very worried at this point.

He sighed and looked at me like someone had died. "Let's take a walk." he said as he took my hand.

He didn't say anything as we walked. He guided us into the forest. When we got into a clearing he let go of my hand and walked a bit ahead and stopped. I saw his shoulders lift and drop as he heaved a heavy sigh. When he turned around he looked like he was going to cry. My heart cracked when I saw his face.

"Bella, it's not going to work out. After what happened last week I can't put you in danger like that again. And word's getting around about what happened. We have to leave. I promise that we will never contact you again and, in time, you'll forget we were ever here."

My heart exploded into a million pieces with every word he said. I couldn't believe this was really happening. I was about to tell him the most wonderful news in the world and now he was breaking up with me?!

"Edward, there's something I have to tell you. I--"

"Bella please--" he suddenly cut me off, "Don't make this harder than this is. This is the last time you'll see me." He then walked up to me, kissed my forehead, and said

"Good-bye Bella."

When I opened my eyes he was gone. I finally whispered my secret: "Edward, I'm pregnant."

So what do ya think? Review and let me know if it's good or if I'm just waisting my time. I'll post the next chapter if at least one person responds.


	2. Chapter 2: No Turning Back

Bella's POV:

I sat there and cried, lightly rubbing my stomach the whole time. I'm not gonna lie, I was scared shitless. I was already worried about having a baby. Now I was going to have to raise this baby on my own. Without Edward. Without her father. I couldn't explain it, but I already knew I was going to have a girl.

It was getting dark. I knew I had to get back soon or Charlie was going to worry.

I got home just as the sun was setting. Damn twilight. It just reminded me more of Edward.

Charlie was watching the football game when I walked in.

"Where were you? It's almost dark out!" He said barely looking up from his game.

"I was with Edward." I said very plain and flat.

Charlie muted the TV and looked at me. He may have missed some details but he always knew when I was upset. He had been able to do that ever since I was a little girl.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sounding like he would go out and kill Edward for hurting me.

"Edward broke up with me." I said as my voice broke.

"What?" Charlie asked very surprised. I couldn't blame him. Even he had said he could see me settling down with Edward one day.

"Edward broke up with me!" I shouted. I was just wrapping my head around this and now I had to explain it to my dad?! Then I stared to ramble.

"He broke up with me cause he didn't want to put me in danger again, whatever that means, just as I was about to tell him something huge and now he'll never know that--" I cut myself off, a little too late I knew.

"He'll never know....what?" Charlie asked. I could hear the suspicion in his voice.

There was no turning back now.

"He'll never know....I'm pregnant." I said as quietly as possible knowing he would still hear me.

"You're....what?" he asked. I could hear the anger rising in his voice. He took a deep breath to avoid getting furious with me.

"When did this happen?" he asked trying to maintain his composure.

"Last week, after my birthday party. He snuck into my room after you went to bed." I stopped there. There was NO way he was getting more detail than that.

"So have you told your mom?"

"Not yet. She just called me last week and told me her and Phil were having a baby. I don't want to stress her out and make her lose the baby. I was going to tell her in a couple of months when the baby's a little stronger."

He put his head down and shook it. I knew he was trying to figure out what to do next.

"Bella, there's not enough room in this house for you, me, and a baby. I think you're going to have find somewhere for you and the baby to live. You can live here until you find a place."

I was shocked. "Wait dad...are you....are you kicking me out?"

He looked at me with cold eyes. "If that's the way you want to look at it then yes."

And with that he turned back to his game and didn't say another word.

I ran upstairs crying. I slammed my door and threw myself onto my bed. I balled my eyes out for a good hour I'd guess.

I almost fell asleep when I remembered I needed to eat to keep me and my baby healthy. I walked downstairs to find the TV off and Charlie not in the front room. I figured he probably went to go talk to Harry or Billy.

I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. I took out the bread, eggs, and butter. I then took out the skillet and preheated it for scrambled eggs. While the skillet heated up I put 2 slices of bread in the toaster. Once the skillet had heated I put the beat eggs into the skillet.

About 5 minutes later I dished up the eggs and toast when I realized the toast was missing something. I grabbed the salsa out of the fridge and put it on the toast.

When I bit into the toast it tasted soooooo good. About halfway through my dinner I realized I usually hated salsa on my toast, or anything for that matter. So that's what food cravings are I guess.

I finished eating and put my dishes in the sink. I then went up to my room, got my pajamas on, and crawled into bed.

As I laid there thinking about the whole day I felt my heart start to ache again. I had not only gotten dumped by my boyfriend, but I now was raising our baby by myself and had gotten kicked out by my dad.

I started to rub just below my belly button. I whispered to my baby, "Soon sweetie, soon daddy will know everything. I promise, I'll tell him." I then rolled onto my side and fell into a dreamless sleep, not knowing what tomorrow would bring.


	3. Chapter 3: Support System

Bella's POV:

_I could feel the pain. It felt like I was going to explode from the inside out. I heard the doctor say "She need to go to NICU." Then she was gone from the room. I sat there crying, praying, that she would be ok. Then the nurse came in with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry." was all she said. Then she left the room. I doubled over and vomited. I had lost him, now I had lost her._

My alarm startled me out of my dream. I immediately checked my sheets. They weren't bloody. I hadn't lost her. She was still with me.

'It was just a dream. It was just a dream.' I kept repeating the mantra in my head as I got out of bed, grabbed my clothes, and went in to turn on the shower.

After I had showered and dried my hair I felt alot better. I took relief in the fact that my baby was still here, alive and well. Or as far as I knew she was healthy. I would find out in a couple of weeks when I made my appointment with my gynecologist.

I put my towel in the hamper and went back to my room. I got my books together and stuffed my things in my backpack.

As I grabbed my bag I heard my dad get up. I ran down the stairs, grabbed a couple of granola bars and ran out the door. I couldn't face him, not yet.

I tried to keep my eyes clear as I drove to school but it was hard. I pulled into the parking lot and just sat there. I didn't know what I was going to do. I had no boyfriend, my dad had kicked me out and I didn't want to put all this on my mom. The last thing I wanted to do was lose my future brother or sister. But I knew I needed someone. Anyone to help me. At that moment Angela knocked on my window startling me out of my thoughts.

"Hey, you ok?" she asked looking very concerned.

Maybe I had found my support system? I wasn't big on prayer but maybe God just answered my prayers. I opened my door and got out. After I shut the door I turned around and just gave her a huge hug.

"What's wrong?" Angela asked, concern very obvious in her voice.

I pulled away and wiped the tears from my face. I was about to tell her when the bell rang.

"Can we talk at lunch?" I asked.

"Of course." Angela smiled at me and rubbed my arm. "Whatever it is, it's gonna be ok."

'If you only knew.' I thought as I smiled and walked to my class.

I was sitting in 2nd period when my stomach started to stir. I started to feel sick. I quickly raised my hand and asked to be excused. As soon as the teacher said yes I belted it for the bathroom. I got to the toilet just as I revisited my breakfast.

About 5 minutes later I stood up, flushed the toilet, and went to wash my face and hands. Well, now I KNEW I was pregnant. Apparantly the baby didn't like granola bars. So started the morning sickness.

'9 months of this? Yea!' I thought as I rinsed out my mouth.

I went back to class and sat down. I felt my phone vibrate with a text message. It was from Jessica.

_'R u ok? U look like u just puked out ur guts'_

'Way to be subtle Jessica' I thought.

I looked over to her as she mouthed "Text me back."

I hit reply on my phone and started pushing buttons. _'I'll explain at lunch.' _I sent back.

She looked at me and mouthed 'Ok.' before turning off her phone and paying attention to class.

When the bell rang for lunch I almost got into my truck and drove away but I knew I had promised Angela and Jessica an explanation so I went to the cafeteria.

As soon as I got to the table Angela stood up and gave me a huge hug. I looked over her shoulder and saw that Jessica, Mike, and Eric were sitting at the table too. I hadn't planned on telling the guys yet but I guess they're gonna know now. Angela finally let go of me and let me sit down.

When she sat down she turned to Eric and Mike. "Ok listen, Bella is having a really bad day and you 2 are just gonna shut up and not say anything stupid ok?" She said. Although I'm pretty sure there wasn't an option there.

They both nodded and stared eating their lunches.

Angela turned to me. "Ok Bella, what's going on? And why didn't I see Edward in class today?"

I bowed my head and tried to keep my composure as I started to tell her what was going on.

"You didn't see Edward because they moved. Carlisle got a job in Helena Montana and transferred the whole family. He couldn't take me with him so...we broke up yesterday." I said.

I had been working on the cover story all morning and I thought it sounded pretty good.

Angela rubbed my arm. "Oh Bella, I'm so sorry. Is that why you're in such a sad mood today?"

"One of the reasons." I said trying not to smile. I knew this was going to throw them ALL for a loop.

"What else is wrong?" Jessica asked.

"I found out yesterday that I'm pregnant." I said looking at them, waiting for their reactions.

Jessica and Angela's eyes got really big. Mike stopped eating and I think he also stopped breathing. Eric's eyes were about as big as Jessica and Angela's. I was waiting for someone to say something. Anything really.

"Wow." Jessica said. "Not what I was expecting to hear."

"So he just left you, knowing you were pregnant?" Mike asked finally, looking like he was gonna snap Edward's neck.

"Well, he didn't know. I was going to tell him but he broke up with me before I could tell him. He doesn't know about the baby. And I think I'm gonna keep it that way for now." I said, coming to Edward's defense. He may have broken my heart but I still loved him.

"Why aren't you gonna tell him?" Angela asked.

"Because he's gonna be starting a new life in Montana. I don't want the baby to be the only reason he comes back."

"Well how does your dad feel about all of this?" Eric asked.

"He's not happy. He basically told me I can live at home 'til I find a place for me and the baby. He says the house isn't big enough for me, him, and a baby. And he's right. I do need to find a place for me and the baby."

"Well what does your mom think?" Jessica asked.

"I haven't told her yet. She's in the early stages of her own pregnancy and I don't want her to lose her baby so I'll tell her a little later when her baby's stronger." I explained.

Then everyone got real quiet. I knew they were all thinking about what to say next. Angela was the first one to speak.

"Well, while it's unexpected, I can't see turning my back on you for it. I'll be glad to help you with all of this." she said as she hugged me.

"Me too." Eric said as he came behind me and hugged my shoulders. I knew whatever Angela had decided he would support her.

I looked at Jessica wondering what she would say.

"I'll forgive you on one condition......I get to plan the baby shower." She said grinning.

I couldn't help laughing through my happy tears. "Of course." I said.

"Then I'm ok with it." She said as she hugged me.

I looked at Mike and he just smiled. I knew it would take a bit for him to come around but I knew he would. Eventually. The bell rang for class to start again. I grabbed my bag and walked to my next class happy. I had found my support system.

So what does everyone think? I picked Montana cuz I live in Montana but I totally think that this is how everyone would react to this. If at least 2 people R&R I'll put up another chapter k? So PLEASE R&R cuz I don't wanna stop writing. So PUSH THAT BUTTON FOLKS!!!!


	4. Chapter 4: Jacob's Relief

Author's Note: Thank you to the people who reviewed. Because of you guys I'm able to let my creative juices flow to my heart's content. I know some of you are mad at Charlie but I've always seen him as a kinda conservative old-fashioned person and this is just how I think he would react. I may soften him up later I haven't decided but my reviewers will help me make that final decision with their votes. Ok, I need to stop babbling and start giving you guys what you came here for: THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!!! remember to R&R please and thank you.

Bella's POV:

I had just gotten out of the last class of the day and was standing at my locker when Mike walked up to me.

"Hey Bella, can I talk to you?" He asked. He looked like he had something big on his mind.

"Yeah sure. What's up?" I asked.

"Listen, I know you just broke up with Edward but I also know your kid's gonna need a good role model. If you want me to help with that I'd be more than happy." He spoke really fast like he'd been practicing all day and just wanted to get this over with.

I didn't know how to react. I knew he always had a crush on me but I did NOT see this coming.

"Mike, I...I don't know what to say. Can I think about this and get back to you? I'm not saying no but....just give me some time to think about it ok?" I didn't want to say yes OR no but this was just WAY too much for 2 days. I wouldn't be surprised if my hormones exploded right off the scale.

He smiled and nodded. "Sure, I know this is alot but I just wanted to offer. Take all the time you need." And with that he walked away. I could swear I heard him saying "Stupid, stupid, stupid....." over and over again as he walked away.

I walked to my truck and threw my bag into the passenger seat. I then started the car and drove home. When I got home I took my bag upstairs and came back down to get a snack and start dinner.

I opened the fridge and pulled out a couple of the fish that Charlie had caught that weekend. Fried fish sounded good. I even pulled out Harry's recipie for his "homemade fish fried." I knew it was one of dad's favorite dishes so I "smuggled" the recipie from Harry this last summer.

I finished prepping the fish and stuck them in the oven just as I heard him pull into the drive. I grabbed an apple and sat down at the counter to start my homework.

I had just opened my history book when he walked in. He hung up his gun, took off his coat and walked into the kitchen. He stopped short when he saw me.

"Hey." He said, sounding surprised to see me.

'Ya know dad, I do still live here. For now at least.' I thought. "Hey." I said not looking up from my book.

"So.....uh......what's for dinner?" He asked acting like he did the first week I had moved here. Like it was wierd for me to be living here.

I looked up at him. "Harry's fried fish." I replied.

I could see he was trying to hide his excitement. I knew he loved Harry's fried fish.

"Ok, well.....let me know when its ready." And with that he went into the living room and turned on the game.

Dinner was very quiet that night. He didn't say anything except thanking me for dinner. Then he went back to his game.

As I was heading upstairs Charlie finally said something. "Oh by the way, Jacob called for you today. Said he wanted to talk to you about what happened."

"How did he find out?!" I asked. I hadn't planned on telling him til later!

"I told Billy and I guess he told Jacob." Charlie said very matter-of-factly.

I sighed and headed upstairs. I laid on my bed and opened my phone. I went to Contacts and looked up Jacob. I dialed the number with a heavy feeling in my stomach.

It rang 3 times before he picked up. He had happiness in his voice. "Bella! Hey! How are you?"

"Well, if my dad talked to your dad I'm sure you know how I'm doing." I said. Due to the mood swings I was kinda mad at this point.

"Yeah, he told me about what Edward did. What a jerk! Are you gonna be ok?" He asked.

"Eventually." Was all I could say about it.

"Hey tomorrow's Friday right?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah why?" I wasn't sure what was going on.

"Great! I'll pick you up after school and we'll go out and have a fun afternoon ok?" He asked super excited.

"Well yeah sure I guess but--" I said but that's all I could get out.

"Great! I'll see you about 3:30. Bye Bella!" He said. Then I heard the line click as he hung up.

I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed. I silently prayed I wouldn't have the same nightmare again and fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up to my alarm. It had been a dreamless sleep and I was glad. I got up, took my shower and got ready for school. When I went down to get breakfast I saw a note from Charlie.

'Had to go to work early. I talked to a couple of ladies at work and they suggested you make an appointment with Dr. Bennett sometime this month. They say she's a really good guynacologist.'

I had to smile. I knew he would never know how to spell gynecologist. But this was really sweet. He may be mad, but he apparantly still cares about me and the baby. I looked up the clinic in the phonebook and made an appointment for Tuesday with Dr. Bennett. I then grabbed an apple and banana and walked out the door.

I wasn't gonna make the same mistake I had made yesterday with the granola bars. Hopefully these would sit better in my stomach. Apparantly my baby likes fruit. At least I would think so because I didn't get sick today.

After school I saw Jacob standing by my truck. As soon as he saw me he ran up to me, picked me up and spinned me around.

"Jacob put me down!" I yelled. Everyone in the parking lot turned to stare at us.

"Sorry Bella, but I haven't seen you since your prom. I missed you!" He said super excited. "Come on, let's go." He said pulling me away from my truck.

"Wait! What about my truck?" I asked.

"Don't worry, I'll drive you back here to pick it up later. Come on." He said as we walked to his Rabbit.

He opened the door for me and then ran around and started up the car.

He took me out to a movie and dinner at the diner. After dinner we drove back to the school parking lot and he walked me to my car.

"Thanks Jacob. I had fun tonight. I really needed it." I said as I got my keys out of my purse.

"Your welcome." He said as he pulled me into a hug.

I don't know why, but this felt good. Jacob was and always would be only my friend but for right now having a guys arms around me was very comforting. I pulled away and smiled at him.

Next thing I knew he looked like he was going to kiss me. I decided to stop him before it got too far.

"Look Jacob. I know you probably would like for us to be more but right now I just need a friend ok?" I tried to be as nice as possible.

I saw his face drop but he sighed and smiled. "Sure Bella, I can be your friend." He said as he took my keys and unlocked my truck.

He then opened the door, let me get in and handed me the keys.

"Remember Bella, I'm only a phone call away." He said with a smile.

"I know, and thank you again." I said as I put the key in the ignition.

"See ya soon." He said. Then he shut the door and walked back to his car.

I drove home and was surprised to see the lights still on. It was almost 11 p.m. and Charlie was usually in bed by 10:30.

I walked in and saw he was passed out on the couch. I walked over, pulled the blanket off the edge of the couch and covered him up. Then I turned off the TV and locked the front door. I knew he would wake up around 1 a.m. and head upstairs. He did whenever he had passed out in front of the TV.

I then walked upstairs, got into my pjs and crawled into bed. I knew tomorrow was going to be interesting with Charlie having the day off and I wasn't planning to go anywhere.

I fell asleep dreading tomorrow.

Sooooo.........who likes and who doesn't like? R&R and let me know. If I get at least 3 more reviews I'll write a new chapter so if you want me to continue PUSH THAT LITTLE BUTTON FOLKS!!!!!


	5. Chapter 5: Saturday Hangout

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone one of my fans. I really appreciate you guys reading and reviewing. It really inspires me to keep writing. But I have a challenge for you guys. I already know who Bella's going to choose but I don't know how she's going to let the other guy down softly so if you guys can give me some ideas I would appreciate it. Now that you have your challenge...... onto the next chapter!!

Bella's POV:

I woke up as the sun hit my face. I stretched as I woke up and felt my back cringe up. I figured it had to be from Jacob picking me up and spinning me around yesterday. 'Gee thanks Jake.' I thought as I sat up. This backache required a long hot shower.

I threw my towel in the hamper as I exited the bathroom and walked back into my room.

I opened my closet and thought about what to wear today. I grabbed my black sweater and jeans. I got the sweater on ok but when I went to put on my jeans I couldn't get the button snapped. 'Ah, another joy of pregnancy. Goodbye jeans, hello sweats.' I thought as I took off my jeans and grabbed my black sweats.

As I finished brushing my hair my cell rang. I looked at the caller ID and saw it was Jacob.

"Hey Jake." I said as I opened my cell to talk to him.

"Hey Bella. I was wondering, what are you doing today?" He asked.

"Well, since SOMEONE picked me up and spun me around yesterday and made my back really sore... I think I'm just gonna stay home on the couch today." I told him.

I knew I wasn't going anywhere and I knew he wouldn't take that personal.

"Well you want some company? I could grab a couple of movies from the rental store and a pizza and hang with ya." He asked.

I knew I couldn't face the WHOLE day with Charlie without some help. And a movie day sounded really good.

"Ya know, that sounds really good." I told him.

:"Great!" I could almost feel the excitement explode off of him by the way he sounded. "I'll be there in about an hour. What kind of movies do you want me to rent?"

I didn't know but I knew I didn't want a romance.

"How about an action and a comedy?" I suggested.

"Great! I'll be there soon. See ya then." He said.

"Ok, see ya soon." I said as I hung up the phone and sighed.

Guess I better go downstairs. I knew I had to face Charlie sooner or later. I just wanted it to be later.

When I got downstairs I noticed the TV wasn't on and Charlie wasn't in the living room or kitchen. I walked to the counter and saw a note.

'Harry and Billy invited me to go fishing. I'll be home late tonight. Here's a $20 for you and Jacob to order pizza.'

So we were avoiding each other for now? I could live with that for now.

I walked into the living room. Charlie's blanket and pillows were still sprawled over the couch. His "Vitamin R" cans and dinner dish was still on the coffee table. I had just finished cleaning his dishes when there was a knock at the door.

"Come on in Jacob." I said as I put the plate and glass in the cupboard.

He walked into the kitchen with a huge smile on his face.

"Hey Bella, how you feeling today?" He asked as he gave me a hug.

"Doing ok I guess, I mean...I haven't thrown up yet so, so far it's a good day." I said with a smile. Hey, if I was gonna be pregnant I was gonna make jokes about it.

He laughed as we walked into the living room and sat down. Him on the couch, me in my favorite recliner.

"So what movies did you get?" I asked.

"Up and Night at the Museum 2. Does that work?" He asked.

"Yeah those will work great. Which one do you want to watch first?" I asked.

"Well, I haven't seen Museum yet."

"Museum it is." I said as I grabbed the remote.

After the movie I looked at the clock. It was 3 o'clock and I didn't know about Jacob but I was hungry. But it was like he was reading my mind.

"You hungry?" He asked suddenly.

"Yeah, my dad left 20 bucks for pizza. You wanna order one?" I asked.

"Sure. What do you want on it?" He asked as he picked up the phone.

"How bout mushrooms, onions, olives and sausage?" I asked.

He looked at me like I had just grown another head.

"What?" I asked.

"How bout that's all on one half and the other half is a meat lovers?" He asked. "No offense to the pregnant one but I don't like mushrooms or olives."

Suddenly I realized I hated mushrooms and onions.

I closed my eyes, smiled, and laughed. 'Thanks baby girl. Now you got me eating funky food too huh?' I thought.

"Sure. Sorry Jake. You can blame the baby for my freaky eating habits." I said as I got up to change out the movies.

"Now why would I blame an innocent baby for her mom's freaky eating habits." He said with a huge smile on his face.

I had to hand it to Jacob. While I was good at banter, he was better.

Jacob got off the phone just as I pushed play on the movie.

"Pizza should be here in about an hour." he said as he plopped back down on the couch.

"Cool. So did we want to revisit our childhood of cartoons?" I asked with a smile on my face.

"Hey, Disney makes some freakin cute characters. And there's nothing wrong with revisiting your childhood." He said with a cocky smile. He knew he had won that argument. I always loved the cute Disney characters.

When the pizza got here Jacob paid for it and got us some plates from the kitchen. He had a root beer with his pizza and I had a glass of milk. I always enjoyed milk and so drinking it to keep the baby healthy was not a hard thing to do.

By the time the movie was over it was getting dark outside.

"Hey Jake, you better get home before it gets too dark." I said as I took the movie out of the dvd player.

"Yeah, my dad wants me home by 6 and it's 5 now so I better go." He said as he grabbed the dvd case for the movie.

While he got the movie put away and grabbed the pizza box I grabbed our dinner plates and cups and put them in the sink.

"So you wanna hang out tomorrow?" He asked.

I was exhausted. I needed to recharge.

"Actually Jacob, I'll probably just take a personal day tomorrow. I need to recharge my battery."

"That's fine. I'll give you a call later this week ok?" He asked as he put on his coat.

"Yeah that'll be ok." I said as I walked him to the door.

He gave me hug and walked to his car. I watched til he got onto the road and then shut the door.

Jacob was a great friend. I just still wasn't sure if I wanted him or Mike there for the full support I still needed.

'This is going to be a tough decision.' I thought.

Suddenly my exhaustion hit me. Going to bed super early sounded really good right now.

I crawled into bed and didn't even have time to finish a full thought before my eyes closed and I fell into a deep sleep.

OK I understand that people don't really like to review but I would like to know I'm not just waisting my time. And any advice on the story is greatly accepted too. So PLEASE REVIEW folks!!!!!! PUSH THAT BUTTON PEOPLE!!!!!!


	6. Chapter 6: Doctor's Appointment

OK my readers. Sorry I haven't updated in a bit but I've been kinda busy but I found a little spare time to write for you guys!! Please know that the challenge I gave you guys in Chapter 5 is still open. I REALLY need help on it. I'll update as much and as fast as I can but now that I have a job it may be a little bit longer in between chapters but I'll do my best. OK, I've rambled on enough. Now for CHAPTER 6!!!!!!!!!!

Bella's POV:

The rest of the weekend was kinda quiet. Charlie came home late on Saturday and left early on Sunday and came home late again. I knew we would have to talk soon. If he wasn't going to take initative soon I knew I would have to.

Monday was kinda quiet at school. Jessica and Angela asked me alot of questions and were smiling and giggling over my answers. It was funny. It's like they enjoyed hearing about my wierd cravings and what foods made me sick and other things like that.

But today is Tuesday. It's the day of my first appointment with Dr. Bennett. I was nervous, excited and anxious all at the same time. When the final bell rang at the end of the day I hurried to my truck and drove out. My appointment was at 4:00 and it was already 3:30. I didn't want to be late.

I walked into the clinic and had to ask the receptionists where the ob/gyn part was. She rolled her eyes, smacked her gum and gave me directions with a very annoyed tone.

"Take the elevator up to 2nd floor and it's just down the hall on your left." She said and then turned back to the phone.

"Gee, thanks for being soooo helpful." I said sarcastically as I walked to the elevator.

Once I got upstairs I walked to the gynecology office. The secretary looked up at me with a smile.

"Hi, how can I help you dear?" She asked with a warm smile on her face.

"Um, I'm here for my 4:00 appointment with Dr. Bennett." I said nervously.

"Oh, you must be Bella, I just need to you sign here and take a seat, her nurse will be with you shortly." She said.

"Thank you." I said as I sat down.

I looked around the office. I couldn't help but notice that the other pregnant women were sitting next to their husbands or boyfriends. I felt my heart crack a little more.

I impulsively reached down and rubbed just below my belly button.

"Don't worry honey," I whispered, "I promised your daddy will know soon. And he will."

I had no sooner said that then the nurse came out to get me.

As it was the first appointment some of the stuff seemed kinda weird. Like the fact they had me pee in a cup and all the questions about my sex life and family history. That part was kinda a blur for me.

But when I asked the nurse about the whole pee in a cup thing she said it was one of the ways they make sure everythings going ok and I would have to do it every time I came in so it was better to get used to it now.

Not long afterwards Dr. Bennett came in.

"Hi Bella, how you doing today?" She asked with a big smile on her face.

"A little nervous." I confessed.

She looked at me with understaning eyes. "This is your first time in a gynacologist room?" She asked.

I nodded and smiled.

"I'll tell you something." She said. "Everybody is nervous the first time they step in here. But I promise you, you're in good hands and I won't let anything happen to you, or the baby. I'll do my best to keep you both healthy ok?"

I suddenly felt ALOT more comfortable. I nodded and knew I had picked the right doctor.

After we talked a bit she had me lay back and she felt my stomach.

After that she gave me a prescription for prenatal vitamins and told me to make another appointment in a month.

So I went out and made an appointment to see her the next month and then went to the pharmacy in the clinic and got the perscription filled.

When I got home Charlie was sitting on the couch watching the TV. He looked up when I came in.

"So......how'd it go?" He asked very nervous.

"Good. Thank you for the recommendation by the way, Dr. Bennett is really great." I said.

"Glad to hear. Oh, I picked up TV dinners for dinner. I don't know what's ok for you to eat, but some of the ladies at work said protein is good for you so I picked you up a chicken TV dinner is that ok?" He asked.

I could tell he was very uncomfortable about this conversation but I also liked to see that he really did care.

"Yeah, that should be ok." I said with a smile. "You hungry now?" I asked.

"Oh I already ate mine." he said as he turned and looked at the game again.

I fixed my dinner and ate on the coffee table. After I ate I went upstairs and took a hot shower. When I got out I heard that the TV was off. Charlie must have gone to bed.

I went into my bedroom and did my homework before I got too tired. Once I was done I saw it was 11:00.

I went dowstairs to take my prenatal vitamin and picked up some to the days mess.

It was then that I saw that I had left my phone on the table. I had 3 new text messages.

I opened the first one. It was from Jessica: 'Hey, howd it go? txt or call me and lemme kno k?'

The second one was from Angela: 'Hope everything went ok 2day. c u 2morow school.'

And the third was from Jacob: 'Hey, howd it go? wana hang sat? lemme kno on both k?'

I texted Jessica back: 'It all went gud. c u 2morow.'

I knew Angela wasn't expecting a text back but Jacob was.

So I texted him: 'It went gud. dont kno bout sat yet. ill txt ya l8r and let u kno.'

Once I had done that and locked the door and turned out the lights I walked upstairs and crawled into bed.

So it looked like Charlie and I were gonna be ok eventually. And I had a GREAT doctor who I felt extremely comfortable with. Looked like things may turn out somewhat ok after all. I thought as I started rubbing my belly. And that's how I fell asleep, rubbing my belly.


	7. Chapter 7: Confession Time

OK people...I DO appreciate all the reviews I got but I REALLY REALLY need your guys' help: I know who Bella's going to choose to help her but I don't know how to write what she's going to say to the guy she doesn't choose. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SOMEONE at least give me a bit of an idea. I'd really appreciate any help I could get. Ok now that I've pleaded for the help I desperatly need onto the next chapter:

BELLA'S POV:

2 MONTHS LATER

Things were starting to be ok. Charlie had bought me the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting", Jessica and Angela were already starting to talk about the baby shower, Eric and Mike were even starting to come around. Jacob had called a couple of days after he texted me and I told him that I was just way too exhausted to hang out with anyone. Luckily he understood and now he was calling every few days just to make sure I was doing ok.

Today was my 2 month checkup with Dr. Bennett. I was so excited. She told me this was going to be the checkup where we could first see the baby on the ultrasound.

I got to the office about 10 minutes before my appointment, checked in, and sat and waited.

About 5 minutes later the nurse came out.

"Hey Bella, how are you doing?" She asked with a huge smile on her face.

"I'm doing ok. The morning sickness has regulated. I'm now only getting sick right after I get up. And I've finally figured out what my stomach can and can't handle." I say as I put my stuff in the room.

"Great! Well, let's check your weight." She says as we head back into the hallway.

After we find out I've gained 5 pounds and I pee into the cup again I go back into the room. While she's checking my blood pressure Dr. Bennett walks in.

"Hey Bella, how's everything going?" She asked as she looked over my chart.

"Alot better. I'm actually able to keep food down now. I'm still really tired though."

She laughed at that. "Bella, sweetie, you're gonna be tired for the next 10 or so years. Trust me, I have 2 boys and a baby girl."

I kinda laugh with her when she says that.

"OK, I'll keep that in mind." I say with a smile.

"OK, now lets measure you and see how the little one's doing." She said as she helped me lay back.

While she measured me her nurse brought in the ultrasound machine. When I saw it my heart leapt.

Dr. Bennett looked at me with a smile. "I know you've been waiting for this." She said as she turned on the machine.

As the machine warmed up she poured this warm gel on my stomach.

"Now, right now the baby is only going to look like a little line on the screen but next ultrasound we'll be able to see more. I promise." She says right before she puts the controller thing on my stomach.

She was right. The baby only looked like a little line right now. But she said according to the measurements that she was able to take the baby was growing right on schedule.

She looked at me and smiled. "This next part is always the best for every mom." She says.

I look at her confused as she pushed some buttons on the machine. Then I hear the most beautiful and wonderful sound in the entire universe.

I hear the tiny thump-thump-thump-thump of my little babys' heart.

I feel a tear roll down my cheek and my smile reach farther than it ever has before. I knew I had never heard something as beautiful as that ever before. I of course always knew she was alive in there but hearing that heartbeat made her all the more real.

I felt so connected to her in that moment that I knew that no matter what happened from this point on I would love her more than my own life and I would willingly lie my life down for this little angel growing inside of me.

I could listen to that sound for all of eternity and not get tired of it but Dr. Bennett had to turn off the machine and clean me off.

After I got cleaned off and pulled up my sweats and down my sweater Dr. Bennett handed me something.

It was a picture of what we had seen on the ultrasound. The tiny line and a graph of her little heartbeat.

"Everything looks great." She said as she helped me off of the table. "Make another appointment in 2 months and I'll see you then." She says as she walks out.

So I go out and make my next appointment for January.

As soon as I get home I go into the living room and see my dad sitting watching TV.

"Hey Bells, how'd it go?" He asks.

"Great. Dr. Bennett says everything looks great. And I know you can't see alot but I got my first ultrasound today." I say as I pull the picture out of one of my school books.

I hand it to him and point out the line that is his grandbaby and show him the heartbeat graph.

"That's great Bells." He says as he hands it back to me.

I start walking upstairs as he clears his throat.

"Listen Bella, do you remember how I said that there's not enough room in the house for you and the baby?" He asks.

My face drops as I remember I gotta start looking for an apartment after graduation.

"Yeah." is all I can say.

"Well, unfortunately that's still true. I really am sorry Bells but it's true. But I'll help you out as much as I can. I'll help you find a reasonably priced place but I can't help you pay for it. I need you to take on the full responsibility you've placed on yourself. Make sense?" He asks.

"Yeah, thanks dad. That means alot." I say.

"Oh and your mom called today. Said she had some big news for you." He says as I walk upstairs.

"Ok, I'll call her right away." I yell from my door.

As soon as I get in the room I put my bag on the floor and pull out my phone. I push #3 on my speed dial and listen to the phone ring about 3 times before Phil picks up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Phil, it's Bella." I greet him.

"Hey Bell Bell, I'll get your mom." He says as I hear him put the phone down.

I never really liked the nickname he had given me but I put up with it. I figured there were alot worse ones he could have picked.

I heard the phone get picked up and then I heard my mom's upbeat happy voice.

"Bella sweetie! I'm so glad you called!" She says.

"Yeah dad said you had some big news to tell me?" I ask.

"Yes I do! You're officially a big sister!" She says estatically.

I almost drop the phone in excitement. "WHAT?!"

"You're little brother, Joshua Phillip Dwyer was born 2 days ago on the 9th. We got home from the hospital yesterday and I called your dad today and told him not to tell you. I wanted to tell you myself." She says very quickly.

"Oh my gosh! What was his measurements? What time? Who does he look like? I NEED DETAILS!" I say.

She laughs and then says. "He was 7 pounds 3 ounces, 21 inches long and was born at 7:42 A.M. And he looks just like his father. He's keeping me on my toes too, unlike you. You were a good baby. He's a little bit of a challenge but Phil's helping me out 110%."

"That's great mom! I'm so happy for you guys. When do I get photos of my little brother?" I ask.

"I'll send some up in a couple of weeks. Oh, you're dady said you had something you wanted to tell me?"

'Gee thanks dad.'

"Yeah, and I know you're gonna freak that I didn't tell you earlier but I didn't want to tell you til after Joshua was born because I didn't want you to get too stressed out." I say really fast.

"Bella, what's going on?" She asks with concern deep in her voice.

"Mom, I'm now 3 months pregnant with Edward's baby." I say quickly waiting for her to erupt.

There is silence on her side of the phone.

"Wow. So you're making me a grandma already huh?" She says. And I could swear I hear a little excitement in her voice.

"You're not upset?" I ask.

"Well, yes I'm upset Bella, and I'm a bit dissappointed in you, but no matter how much I yell or lecture you it's not going to change anything. How'd your dad take it?"

I kinda chuckled. "Alot worse than you. He's told me that I gotta find a place for me and the baby since there's not enough room here for me and him and the baby. Don't get mad at him. I know he's right." I say.

"Well he's letting you stay there till you find a place right?" She asks with concern in her voice.

"Yeah he is." I say.

"So when's your expected due date?" She asks.

"Around July 17th." I tell her.

"And how about a baby shower?" She asks.

"My best friends Angela and Jessica are planning one. I think they're going to have it at the end of June." I tell her.

Suddenly I hear a cry in the background.

"Bella sweetie, I'm sorry but I gotta go. That could be either Joshua or Phil and I gotta go find out who it is." She says.

I laugh at her. "Ok mom, I'll talk to you. Give Joshua lots of hugs and kissed from his big sister for me ok?"

"I promise I will Bella. I'll talk to you soon. I love you, and my grandbaby."

"We love you too mom, bye." I say as I hang up the phone.

I open my trig book and start on my homework. About 2 hours later I finish and head downstairs to fix dinner.

I fix chicken catchatorrie for dinner that night. After Charlie and I clean our plates of food and he compliments me on dinner and I clean up the dishes Charlie goes in to watch that nights football game and I go upstairs to read my next chapter in my 'What to Expect' book and look up some pregancy info on the computer.

About 3 hours later I realize I'm tired. I look at the clock and see it's 10:45.

So I turn off the computer and change into my pajamas. Before I crawl into bed I grab the photo I got from Dr. Bennett.

This time I fall asleep rubbing my belly and looking at the picture.

The last thought I have before falling asleep is 'I can't wait to hold you and kiss you my gorgeous perfect baby.'

And with that I fall asleep to dream of my baby girl.


	8. Chapter 8: Thanksgiving

AN: Thank you to all my reviewers for your kind words. I truly enjoy writing this story. A little trivia bout me: In the last chapter I used my daughter's weight, measurements and time of birth. I also used my birthday the 9th. She was my early birthday present cuz she was born on the 5th!!

And for those who keep bugging me about when Bella will tell Edward I promise something will happen about that soon. ONTO THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!!

Bella:

I woke up to my alarm. After I turned it off I realized I had been holding the ultrasound picture in my hand all night long again. I smiled. Maybe that explained why I had that wonderful dream about playing with my little girl in the park. I ran my fingers over the photo and kissed it. Then I grabbed my clothes and headed into the bathroom for my shower.

After I had dried my hair and gotten dressed I went downstairs and found Charlie eating a bowl of cereal. Well, at least there was no threat of anything burning today.

He looked up from his paper and asked, "So what do we want to do about tomorrow?"

I looked at him confused.

"Didn't you remember tomorrow's Thanksgiving?" He asked.

Apparently the idea had passed me by.

"I don't know did you have anything planned?" I ask as I grab a couple of granola bars from the cupboard.

"Well, I was thinking about the diner." He said.

'Oh please dear God, not the diner, not for thansgiving!!!!!' I thought. I would rather have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for thanksgiving than the diner. I wanted this one to be somewhat special for us since we were going through alot this year.

"But the diner will be closed tomorrow." He said

'Thank you GOD!!!'

"So I was thinking we'd call Billy and Jacob and see if they would like some company tomorrow." He finished his thought.

That actually sounded really nice.

"That sounds good." I said. "Give me a call about 12:30 today when I go to lunch and let me know what they say. If they say yes then after school I'll stop by here and grab some money and go buy some food. I just need to know what to get ok?"

"OK I can do that. But instead of having you waste the gas to come back out here how bout I give you the money now and you can pay me back by fixing me dinner every night for the next week?"

I smiled at him. "Dad, I fix you dinner every night. That doesn't sound very fair." I joked.

"Well would you rather wash the patrol car for a week?" He asked with a smile on his face.

"No, I'll cook for ya. It's easier and not as hard of work." I replied with a sarcastic grin.

Just then my phone rang. It was Angela.

"Hey Angela, what's up?" I asked.

"Hey Bella. I was wondering if I could borrow your history notes when we get to school. I was busy last night and forgot to write notes and there's that test today." She explained.

"Yeah sure. In fact I'm heading to school now. I'll meet you in the parking lot." I said as I stood up.

"Great see ya soon." She said as we hung up.

As I hung up I saw Charlie grab his wallet out of his back pocket and pull out 3 20 dollar bills and slide them towards me. I picked up the money and walked into the living room.

I turned to him as I got my coat and backpack from the coat rack by the door.

"So give me a call and let me know what they say ok?" I ask.

"Will do." he said as he walked over to refill his coffee cup.

I couldn't wait for the day when I could enjoy a hot cup of coffee again.

I got to school and gave Angela my notes to copy. At lunch I decided to sit by myself today. Sometimes I wanted my space and my friends understood that really well. I was glad of that.

I had just finished drinking my orange juice when my phone vibrated. I looked at the caller ID to see it was Charlie.

"Hey dad. So what did they say?" I asked as I pulled out my notebook to write down what I would need to buy.

"Hey Bells. They said they don't mind us coming over tomorrow. Billy said they would supply the turkey, stuffing and potatoes. All we gotta get is some olives, pickles, sweet poatoes and dinner rolls." He said.

I wrote down the items as he said them.

"OK, I'll go to the store after school and get the stuff."

"Good, I'll see ya later." he said. Then I heard the click of the phone hang up.

After school, true to my word, I went to the grocery store. I was glad I went when I did. I grabbed the last can of olives and last 2 cans of sweet poatoes.

After the store I went home. Charlie wasn't home from work yet so I decided to take a hot bath to relax my sore back.

Half an hour later I dried off and got dressed again. As I threw the towel in the basket I heard the front door open and close signaling Charlie was home.

I went downstairs to see what he wanted for dinner. We decided since I would be cooking tomorrow we were gonna order pizza tonight. After half a pizza and a football game I went up to bed.

The next morning I woke up around 9:00. I went downstairs to get some breakfast. I turned on the tv for the MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE. My mom and I would always sit in front of the tv watching it in our pajamas with chocolate milk and a bowl of cereal. (Living in Phoenix it was too hot for hot coca but my mom still wanted to make it as special as when SHE was a little girl. So I sat on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa and my bowl of cereal and watched the parade.

About half an hour later I heard Charlie come down the stairs.

"Ah the parade huh? You and your mom still watch that together?" He asked.

"Yeah we did every Thanksgiving." I say.

" You know, I remember having to fix you guys hot chocolate while you guys watched this." He said. I could hear the smile in his voice.

He always joked that he was upset that we were making him miss his football game. But I always knew he had enjoyed watching the excitement on my face at each new float and balloon. And now I couldn't wait to sit and watch this with my daughter next year.

I realized at that moment that I had better be prepared if it was a boy. I knew I would find out in January. Dr. Bennett told me I would.

Charlie grabbed a cup of coffee and sat in his chair to watch the parade with me.

After the parade was over we got dressed and got the food into the car and drove over the Billy's.

As we pulled up Charlie honked the horn. Jacob came running out to the car.

As Charlie got the food out of the back of the car Jacob opened my door. As soon as I got out he gave me a huge hug.

"Happy Thanksgiving you guys." He said as he went to help Charlie carry in the food.

"Happy Thanksgiving Jacob." Charlie said.

Charlie and Billy watched the football game as Jacob and I fixed dinner. As we fixed dinner we talked about school, friends, and the baby. I even showed him the photo I had gotten from the doctor.

And the best part: He really listened.

I mean, my friends would listen. Jessica, Angela and Mike hung onto my every word when I was talking about the baby. Eric would kinda listen but that was what Eric was like Angela told me. But Jacob REALLY REALLY listened. He shared my excitement and happiness.

After dinner Billy and Charlie offered to clean the dishes while me and Jacob went out for a walk.

"So how's everything going for you?" I asked as we walked down the street.

"Good. I'm doing good in school and the rabbit is almost finished. Pretty soon I'll be driving to school instead of taking the bus." He said with a smile.

"Yeah, I had to ride the bus in Phoenix. I hated it." I say as I smile.

We walked around just talking about different things for about an hour. Then it started to get cold so we walked back to his place.

When we got there the game was just finishing up. Seahawks had won much to Billy and Charlie's delight.

After we all had talked for a bit we decided to go home. Charlie headed out to start the car as I grabbed my coat.

As I headed out the door Jacob came and leaned in the doorway. "You know what I'm thankful for this year?" He asked.

"What?"

"For you. And the fact that I know you're going to be a great mom." He said with a smile.

I walked back and gave him a hug with tears in my eyes. 'Damn mood swings' I thought.

"Thanks Jake. I'll see ya soon." I said.

Then I heard Charlie honk the horn so I walked to the car waving as I went.

"So you and Jake getting close I see?" Charlie said.

"Dad, he's just being the support I need." I say with a smile.

I already know what he's thinking. Honestly, maybe he's thinking like I should be.

When we get home I realize that I'm tired.

"Hey dad, I'm going to bed. Good night."

"Good night." He says as he turns on the TV. "Hey Bells, you want to go out to breakfast tomorrow since you don't have school and I don't have to report to the station til tomorrow afternoon?" He asked.

"That sounds great dad." I say with a smile. "Good night."

I got upstairs and changed into my pjs.

As I got into bed my phone rang from a text. It was from Jacob.

_'I really meant what I said tonight. Happy thanksgiving.' _

It put a big smile on my face.

I knew I was going to have to tell Edward soon. I decided I would call him this weekend and hopefully at least get his voicemail and tell him on there. If not then I'd call Alice. One way or another one of them HAD to have a voicemail. I knew Carlisle would because he's a doctor so if nothing else I would get ahold of him and let Edward know that way.

I laid my head on the pillow and fell asleep wondering what his reaction would be.

I realized about halfway through writing the chapter that the dates are messed up. It's supposed to be the 10th of November but I was kinda tired of doing the day to day thing so I decided to skip ahead to Thanksgiving. Hope you guys didn't mind. Just remember: PUSH THAT R&R BUTTON MY PEEPS!!!!!!


	9. Chapter 9: Dreams

**AN: LAST CHANCE PEOPLE: I REALLY need help with how she's gonna let down the guy she doesn't choose. If I don't get help I'm afraid it's gonna be a disaster when I write that chapter and it's getting closer and closer. So if you don't want a crappy chapter you'll help me out here folks!!**

**Bella's POV:**

_I heard a knock at the door and went to open it. When I opened it I almost fainted at what I saw. Edward was standing in the doorway._

_I immediately reached out and clung to him. But he just stood there as cold and still at a statue._

_I pulled away and looked at him, very confused._

_"What's wrong?" I asked him very concerned._

_"Is it true?" was all he said._

_I looked at him growing more confused._

_He looked at my stomach and then looked back up at me and asked again: "Is it true?"_

_I finally understood. I looked at him with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face._

_"Yes Edward, it's true. I am pregnant and she's your child." I said trying to hold in my excitement._

_"No...its not." He said very coldly._

_With those three words I felt so dissapointed and brokenhearted._

_I couldn't understand him. This was the man who had almost died for me. Who said he would do whatever it took to keep me safe. And now here he was breaking my heart._

_"Edward...yes she is. Don't you remember the night of my birthday? Don't you remember when we made love?" I asked feeling my heart break into a thousand tiny pieces._

_"Bella, we never made love. You never got pregnant." He said._

_As he said this I felt my stomach sink down. I immediately raised my shirt and saw that my stomach was the shape it was before I had gotten pregnant. I then looked up and he was gone. I fell onto the floor and wept. It couldn't be true._

_"It's not true. It's not." I kept saying over and over again._

"It's not!" I screamed as I sat up in bed. I looked around my room and realized I had been dreaming.

I immediately raised my shirt and rubbed my belly feeling my little bump. I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

It was just a dream. It was just a dream. I kept reminding myself as I laid my head back down and fell back asleep.

_I heard a cry from the other room. I walked into the room and saw her smiling face look up at me from her crib. I smiled at her and leaned over the crib._

_"Good morning sunshine!" I said with a huge smile on my face._

_She smiled at me and raised up her arms to be picked up. I picked her up and smothered face with kisses. As we walked into the living room she started rubbing and patting my face and grabbing my hair and putting it in her mouth._

_I laughed and blew raspberries all over her cheeks and face as she laughed and cooed with me._

_We walked into the kitchen and I grabbed a bottle off of the counter and grabbed the formula out of the cupboard. I watched her face light up and she started clapping._

_"Just a minute sweetie, I gotta fix your bottle first." I said as I filled her bottle with water._

_As soon as I had mixed the formula I handed her the bottle and she started eating very hungrily._

_I had to laugh at her._

_"You act like I haven't fed you in days." I said as I put her in her highchair and turned on the coffee pot._

_After we had breakfast we both went into her bedroom and got her dressed for the day._

_She then came into my bedroom with me while I got dressed._

_About that time I heard the front door open._

_She started to squeal and laugh. I knew why she was so excited._

_"Is that daddy? Is daddy home?" I asked her in my happy excited baby voice._

_She started squealing and giggling even louder. She stared to squirm on my bed._

_I quickly grabbed her before she fell off of the bed._

_I heard him put his keys in the little tray we had by the door and put his bag down._

_I placed her in the playpen we had in the bedroom while I put away the clothes I had folded the night before._

_"Hey babe, how was your night shift?" I ask with my back turned._

_I heard him let out a great sigh._

_"I've never been so exhausted. There were 2 bar fights and 3 crazy ex's. It was one of our toughest nights." He said as he walked over to the playpen._

_I heard her laugh as he picked her up and started hugging and kissing her._

_I heard them do their morning routine. He would kiss her and hug her, then hold her up in the air and ask her "Who's my happy baby girl? Who's my happy baby girl? You are! You are!"_

_All the while she would be laughing and giggling and drooling due to her teething._

_I then heard her squeal and knew he was gently tossing her in the air. She loved that best. I never did it with her for fear that I would drop her but he had much surer hands and never dropped her. _

_And so it had become a "daddy and me" thing they had. It was their special thing and I wasn't about to get in the way of that._

_I then heard him softly humming and I knew he was hugging her and swaying back and forth with her._

_It was in these moments that I knew I had made the right choice. He truly loved her as his own. It didn't matter that she wasn't his. He still loved her._

_I then heard him place her back in the playpen._

_At this point I had finally closed the last drawer and all the clothes were put away._

_I felt his arms snake around my waist and his head rest on my shoulder._

_I instictively leaned into him. I loved these moments. This and the moments when we would all sit together after dinner and watch a movie before he had to go to work I really felt like we were a family. Like I could live like this forever and be eternally happy._

_He kissed my neck and smelled my hair._

_"Every moment I spend away from my girls is pure torture." He said with a smile._

_"It's torture for us too." I said with my eyes closed._

_"I'm so glad you chose me Bella. I honestly thought I never had a chance. You have no idea how much it means to me. To know how much you love me." He whispered in my ear._

_He turned me around and immediately kissed me. This kiss, like all our kisses, was so familiar but also so new. Every kiss with him felt like the first kiss and the last at the same time._

_He then hugged me close to him and whispered in my ear, "I love you, Isabella Swan and I can't wait til we are married."_

_"Me neither. I love you so much."_

_At that moment she started to fuss again. I heard him laugh._

_"Always wanting in on the moment." He said as he pulled away and went to pick her up._

_It was at this point I finally saw who it was that I had chosen. I was about to speak to him when I started to hear this odd buzzing._

I woke up and heard the alarm going off. I turned it off and sat there and thought for a moment.

After my shower that morning I made 2 decisions as I headed downstairs to see if Charlie was up yet: 1: I WOULD tell Edward, but not until after she was born. He had every right to know but I was too afraid that he would reject me and the baby and I was afraid that the stress and trauma of that would make me lose her.

And 2: I now knew exactly who to choose to help me raise my daughter.

**Well, what do you guys think? I really love your guys reviews and all the help you've been giving.**

**Once more people: I REALLY REALLY need HELP with writing how she's gonna let down the guy she doesn't choose. ANYONE who can help it is greatly appreciated.**

**Please don't forget to R&R people! See ya next chapter :)**


	10. Chapter 10: Breakfast and Christmas

**AN Thank you to all my readers and reviewers for all your kind words. And just know there will be a surprise and happy twist in this chapter AND the next chapter.**

BELLA'S POV:

Breakfast with Charlie was really nice. We sat and talked about work and school and he asked questions about me and the baby. It was almost like we were back to normal. Then he asked a question that threw me for a loop.

"So, does Edward know about the baby?" He asked.

I looked up kinda shocked. I didn't expect him to ask THAT. He hadn't even mentioned Edward since I told him Edward had left.

I kinda looked down and silently told him "No, not yet."

He looked at me. "Well, are you PLANNING on telling him?"

I looked at him. "Yes, absolutely. I'm just gonna wait until after the baby's born to tell him."

He suddenly put down his coffee and utensils and looked at me.

"Bella, you have to tell him before then. You can't cheat him out of the most wonderful moment of his life."

"What moment's that dad?" I asked.

"Seeing the birth of his son or daughter. There's no greater moment in any mans' life. Believe me." He said as he lightly touched my hand.

I honestly never felt closer to him than at this moment.

I smiled at him and said "OK, dad, I promise, I'll tell him soon. In fact I'll tell him right after new years ok?"

"OK." He said with a smile.

The rest of the month passed pretty quiet.

When Christmas rolled around we had Jacob and Billy come celebrate with us. It was really nice.

I gave Jacob a part for the Rabbit he'd been needing for a long time, he gave me a really nice bracelet he said that one of the reserve elders had made, I gave Charlie a new gun cleaning kit, Charlie gave Me a photo album to put my photos of me and the baby in, Esme sent me alot of baby clothes, Charlie gave Billy a new jacket and Billy gave Charlie a new fishing pole.

After we all opened presents and ate Jacob and I sat in the kitchen and talked while Charlie and Billy watched the game.

"So, have you made a choice yet?" Jacob asked randomly.

I quickly put my head down, tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and lightly smiled and laughed.

"Actually yeah Jacob, I have." I said.

He smiled and took my hand.

"Who did you choose?" He asked.

I was about to tell him when there was a knock at the door.

Jacob and I saw that Billy and Charlie were so wrapped up in the game that they didn't hear the knock.

Jacob looked at me and said "Hold that thought. I'll get the door."

He jumped from the stool and walked over and opened the door. Suddenly I saw his face drop.

Suddenly he said "Get the hell out and never come back."

This was weird, even for Jacob. I immediately jumped up to see who was at the door.

My jaw almost hit the floor. There, standing in the doorway with a HUGE bow wrapped around her waist, was Alice Cullen!!!

She just smiled and lifted her arms for a hug and said "Merry Christmas!"

I immediately wrapped her in a big hug. This was far better then any gift I could have gotten.

Jacob told his dad he wasn't feeling good and had to get home. So him and Billy left.

'Obvious enough Jake?'

After they left I took Alice upstairs.

I shut the door and sat down.

"OK, first question for you: Why are you here?" I asked.

Alice came over and sat down next to me on the bed.

"I had a vision of you giving birth. And since this baby will practically be my niece or nephew I wanted to come home and help you out as much as I can. I'll help you find an affordable place, help you buy baby stuff, and help you the first few months until you're on you feet ok?" She said with a huge smile on her face the whole time.

"Of course you can help me Alice. And you're welcome here as long as you want." I said as I hugged her.

"OK Alice, second question: Did you tell HIM?" I asked not sure how I wanted her to answer.

"No, not yet. I told everyone I missed you and so I was going to visit you for a while. I figured you wanted to be the one to tell him." She said with a smile.

"Thank you Alice. Yes, I want to tell him myself." I said with a smile.

"So, you have to fill me in on what's been going on the past few months." She said as she jumped up and down on my bed.

We talked and laughed about the last few months for the next few hours. At about 9:00 that night Charlie came up and told us that he had made up the couch for Alice and he was going to bed.

Alice thanked him and we both told him good night and exchanged Merry Christmas'. After he left me and Alice shared silent laughs.

'Oh dad, if you only knew.' I thought.

Around 12 I started feeling my exhaustion.

Alice saw it and stood up.

"I'll let you get some sleep. After all you need to take care of that niece or nephew that I'm going to start spoiling tomorrow." She said.

I chuckled as I stood up and hugged her.

"It's so great to have you back Alice." I said.

"Great to be back." She said as she walked out.

As soon as she left my phone rang from a text.

I picked it up and saw it was Jacob.

'How long is she here for?'

I texted back 'As long and she wants'

'Are there more coming back?'

'I don't think so.'

'Ok, I'll still be by, but not as much.'

I was texting him back when another text popped in.

'And who was your choice.'

So I replied back 'OK and I'll tell you next time you come by.'

He texted back 'OK, and goodnight.'

I then put my phone down, got in my pajamas and crawled into bed.

And once again I fell asleep rubbing my now 4 month big belly.

**YEA!!! ALICE IS BACK!!! Does this mean more Cullens or what? Also will Jacob continue to be a jerk or will he redeem himself? You want me to write that next chapter and tell you guys you know what to do. PUSH THAT BUTTON PEOPLE!!!**


	11. Chapter 11: New Year's Eve

**OK, Thank you to all my reviewers. Hope you all liked the little surprise in the last chapter. And if you liked that surprise you're gonna LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the surprise in this chapter. Read on my little minions, read on. LOL JK. Enjoy the chapter.**

BELLA'S POV:

Tonight was New Year's Eve.

Me and Charlie invited all of my friends: Jessica, Mike, Eric and Angela. Even Jacob and Billy came.

We bought meat and cheese trays, sparkling cider, and some salsa for dipping. We even decorated the house (although it was more Alice who decided than anyone else) with banners, streamers, a "Happy New Year" sign, and "Happy New Year" hats that she insisted we all wear.

Alice had given me strict instructions to not tell anyone else she was in town. She foresaw that everyone would be happy and excited if she made it a surprise.

And she was right. Jessica was happy she was back so she had another fashion and shopping buddy. Angela was happy she was back so she had someone else to talk to and the guys were just happy to have her back.

By about 8:00 all of the guys were sitting in the kitchen talking about sports, hunting, and hiking. All of us girls were in the living room talking about me, the baby, the baby shower, guys, shopping, and all the homework we had to do.

About 11:30 I felt this tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw that it was Jacob.

"Hey can I talk to you?" he whispered.

"Yeah, sure." I said as I stood up.

I turned to the girls and said "I'll be back soon." as Jacob grabbed our coats and walked toward the door.

We stepped outside and I immediately wrapped my coat around me and grabbed the hat and gloves out of my pocket.

It was nights like this that I wished I had decided to move to Jacksonville with mom. At least there it would be warm.

I turned to him and asked "OK, what do you want to talk about?"

He took a deep breath and looked at me with a determined look on his face.

"I need to know who you chose Bella. It's killing me not knowing. Please, I need to know." He almost pleaded.

"Jacob, you have to understand something. No matter who I choose they have to realize that part of my heart still belong to him. I still love him a bit." I said knowing this was hurting him.

But he needed to understand. That I knew.

He turned around and put his hands on the railing and I heard him breathing deep. He obviously was trying to calm down.

Without looking up or looking at me he said "So you'll never completely love whoever you chose?"

I walked towards him.

"Yes, I will. But it will take a long time for me to heal and move on. And the person I choose has to be able to understand that. They need to be patient and give me the time I need to move on and heal." I said hoping he would understand.

He walked past me, sat in the chair on the porch, and put his head in his hands.

I could tell he was processing and thinking about everything.

I leaned on the railing and gave him the time he needed.

After a while he raised his head and nodded. "OK, I understand. And if I am the one you chose I'll give you the time you need. I'll help as much as I can." He said as he walked towards me.

I stood up and nodded.

We walked towards each other and he took my hand in his.

I looked into his eyes.

"Jake, I chose--"

Suddenly Alice burst through the door.

"Bella!!" She shouted.

I turned around.

"What, what's wrong Alice?" I asked very concerned that something had happened.

Suddenly a huge smile filled her entire face.

"I just had a vision. Edwards' coming home!!" She said excited.

It took me a minute to process what she said.

Edward Cullen. The love of my life. The father of my unborn child. The immortal who held my soul for all eternity was coming home.

I slowly started to smile and hugged Alice.

I then quickly pulled away and started asking questions. "Why? When? Where is he now? Does he know?"

She sat us down so I could calm down.

"I don't know why, he'll be here on February 14th, right now he's in Rio de Janerio, and no, he doesn't know yet." She said answering all the questions at once.

"Wow! This is great news! Isn't it Ja--"

I turned around to find that Alice and I were the only ones on the porch. I looked out on the road and saw Jacob running in the direction of the reservation.

Suddenly inside I heard everyone yell "Happy new year!"

Yes it would be a GREAT new year. Wouldn't it?

**Well? Did I deliver good on my promise to you people? I hope I did. Review and let me know. If I get alot of reviews I'll update on Monday. It's my first Mother's Day Sunday so there will be no posts til then. PUSH THAT BUTTON PEOPLE!!!**


	12. Chapter 12: Valentine's Day

**AN: Thank you to my reviewers once again for all your kind words. I'm sorry if I ticked off any Jacob lovers but this IS a Edward and Bella story and everyone knows that Edward wins in the end. Now onto the part many have been waiting for!!**

BELLA'S POV:

The alarm woke me up. I almost threw it on the floor before I realized that it was the day.

Today was February 14th. Today.......HE was coming home.

I seemed to walk a little lighter on the way to the shower.

Which almost seemed impossible now that I was 5 months pregnant. I was slowly starting to waddle at this point. Yet I hadn't felt her move yet. I knew I was supposed to be feeling her move soon so I wasn't worried about it.

After my shower I went to get dressed. As I threw my towel on the bed the photo frame caught my eye.

It was a picture of me and Jake and our friends on New Year's Eve.

Jake hadn't been seen or heard from since that night. On superbowl Sunday Billy came over and said Jacob was feeling sick. I knew he was mad but he could at least give me a chance to explain myself.

I put the picture frame down, put that thought out of my head, and walked over to my closet to get dressed.

I thought about what to wear today. I usually wore a pair of maternity jeans and a shirt that hugged my baby bump quite well. But Edward didn't know yet. And I wanted to be creative in my way of telling him.

So I purposefully grabbed my maternity jeans, a t-shirt, and one of my baggy hoodies.

After I got dressed I went downstairs to find a gourmet breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast and pancakes provided by Alice.

"You know, half this stuff I can't even eat. I'll just revisit the eggs around lunch and the bacon has too much fat. My doctor told me to watch my weight." I said sadly as I sat down.

Alice set a plate of pancakes in front of me and smiled.

"The bacon and eggs are for Charlie. These are for you." She said with a huge smile on her face.

I had to admit with Alice here we never went hungry. Charlie loved her food and I got the rest of my pregnancy off from cooking.

After breakfast Alice and I went to school and Charlie left for work.

On the way to school I could feel the nervousness creeping into my body.

"Alice, have you seen anything yet?" I asked trying to act casual.

"No, not yet. But I'll let you know when I see you at lunch if I see anything." She said as we pulled into the parking lot.

"So I gotta wait until lunch?" I whined.

Alice just laughed as we walked into the school.

"Bella, stop whining and hurry up or we'll be late for our classes." She said.

Every hour and class just dragged by. Each slower than the one before.

It seemed like days before the bell rang for lunch. I ran to my locker, threw my books into the locker, shut the door and was about to rush downstairs for lunch when I heard an announcement.

"BELLA SWAN PLEASE REPORT TO MR. BERTIE'S ENGLISH ROOM. BELLA SWAN TO MR. BERTIE'S ENGLISH ROOM PLEASE. THANK YOU."

'Oh great!' I thought. He probably had a problem with my paper and couldn't wait to talk to me.

Reluctantly I went to Mr. Bertie's room. I walked in but no one was there. 'Maybe he was in the back room' I thought as I walked back there.

I knocked on the office door and called for him but no one came out.

Suddenly I heard the classroom door close.

I whipped around and almost fell to the ground.

I knew this was coming, but I didn't expect it now.

There he was. I pinched myself sure I was dreaming. But I didn't wake up.

I walked back to the middle of the room and just stopped. I remembered there was something I had to tell him first. This could possibly be the shortest reunion in history and I had to remember that.

When he saw that I stopped walking he walked towards me.

"Bella." He whispered as he walked towards me.

He was about to hug me when I pulled away.

I could see the hurt and confusion in his eyes.

"Before this goes any further, there's something I have to tell you Edward." I said.

I slowly took of my hoodie to show him my belly.

He just stood there for a minute processing it. His look of hurt and rejection was almost too much for me to take. I was about to hold him and tell him everything when he finally spoke.

"So who's the father?" He asked trying to keep his composure.

My only response was I walked over to him, took his hand, and laid it on my stomach.

Suddenly I felt what I had been waiting 5 months to feel. I felt the baby move for the first time. And by the look on his face he had felt it too.

It made my answer all the easier.

"Well, it looks like she knows who daddy is already." I said trying to hide the nervousness in my voice. I was still terrified that he would walk out and never come back.

He looked at me with confusion clearly all over his face.

"That's my--OUR baby?" He asked.

My heart swelled when I heard him say that. I felt all the fear and nervousness leave my body at that moment.

"Yes Edward, this is our baby. I have never been with anyone else." I said with a smile.

"But...I....I thought it was impossible for me to.... I mean, that's why we didn't use protection." He stammered all the while rubbing my stomach never letting his hand leave the baby.

I had to laugh at him. Not only was it surprising to hear Edward stammering for once in his life but I could tell he was already entranced by the baby.

I looked at him with a smile on my face.

"Well, apparantly you ARE able to pro-create." I replied.

Now there was just one more thing I needed to know.

"So does she...change anything between us?" I asked almost afraid of the answer.

Suddenly he grabbed me and kissed me more passionatly than he had ever kissed me before. He then held me close and was softly rubbing my back.

I ran my fingers through his hair and smiled to myself as he held me.

"I take that as I no?" I whispered against his chest.

I heard the light chuckle vibrate in his chest.

He dipped his head to where his mouth was right by my ear.

"Bella, the last 5 months without you have been a complete and total hell for me. I swear to you, I will never leave you again unless you tell me to leave and never come back. I will never fail you again." He whispered.

With each word I wanted to hold him tighter and have him in every sense of the word.

The only thing stopping me was the little nudger who was suddenly reminding us she was there.

I laughed as we broke the embrace.

"Apparently she already wants all the attention on her." I joked

Suddenly I heard the bell ring signaling that lunch was over.

I groaned and didn't want to let go of his hand.

He smiled and stroked my cheek.

"It's ok, go to class and I will wait for you after school. Just look for my Volvo." He said as we walked to the door.

"You swear you'll be there?" I asked still not wanting to let go.

He tucked a bit of my hair behind my ear and looked at me with a serious look on his face.

"I swear to you, Bella Swan, I WILL be in the parking lot to take you home after school today." He said.

I nodded and kissed him one more time before heading off to my next class.

In history class I rushed to sit next to Alice.

"Alice! He's here." I said as I sat down.

"Yes, I know." was all she said.

I looked at her confused.

"You know?"

"Yes, I actually knew before you even got up this morning." She said as she took out her book.

"And why didn't you tell me?" I asked getting upset.

"Because as soon as I saw him hit the city limits he sent me a thought that I was sworn to secrecy. He wanted it to be a surprise. And I knew better then to disagree with him." She said with a smile on his face.

"Oh, ok you're forgiven." I said with a smile as the class started.

I didn't think it was possible for the day to go any slower. But it did. Especially the last class of the day. Every minute felt like an hour.

Finally the final bell rang.

I rushed to my locker and grabbed my books for my homework and my coat before rushing out the door.

True to his word Edward was there waiting for me leaning against his Volvo. I threw my stuff into his car and was about to hug him when he got slammed by the little pixie.

They were both laughing and happy to see the other and I didn't want to get in the way of that so I just leaned against the car.

"Thank you for keeping my secret lil sis." He said as she finally let him go.

"It wasn't easy you know. She's been dragging around like a sad lonely puppy all day since I wouldn't tell her anything." Alice said with a smile on her face.

I would have argued but I knew that it was true so I just buried my face in my hair.

After we all stood around and talked for about a half hour suddenly Edward stood up.

"Well, I need to get Bella home. I know Charlie is going to want to talk to me." He said as he pulled out his car keys.

"Charlie? You want to talk to Charlie tonight?!" I asked.

I had just gotten him back. Now he wanted Charlie to kill him?!

He just laughed and wrapped his arms around me.

"It's all going to be ok." He said as he kissed my head.

"Well, I gotta go buy some groceries for the house so tell Charlie I'll be there around dinner ok Bella?" Alice said as she walked to her car.

"OK." I said as I got into Edwards' car.

I held his hand and didn't let go the whole ride home.

As soon as we got home I did my homework as Edward sat and watched the evening news.

I finished my homework just as I heard the cruiser pull in.

I ran into the living room to see Edward still casually sitting on the couch.

I sat down next to him.

"Edward, I know you want to talk to him, but PLEASE wait until he hangs up his gun." I pleaded.

He just smiled, took my hand and kissed it.

"Don't worry love, everything will be fine." He said.

I then heard the door open as Charlie walked in.

After a few minutes he started walking into the living room.

"Hey Bells how was your day?" He asked as he reached the door way.

"Pretty good. But dad, there's something I gotta tell you." I said nervously.

"What's that?" He asked as he started to turn to see me and Edward.

Suddenly he saw Edward and his face dropped.

"Um, Edward's back." I said nervously.

Edward let go of my hand and stood up.

"Chief Swan, I know I messed up big time and it will take a long time to earn your trust back but I swear to you and to Bella I will do whatever it takes to show you both that I want to redeem myself. And I already know about the baby and I have sworn to Bella I will be there for her every step of the way. I already regret missing what I have and don't want to miss anymore of my child's life. Please sir, give me a second chance." He said almost pleading.

Charlie sat down and thought for a moment.

Then he spoke.

"Edward, it's going to take a LONG time for me to trust you again. You understand that right?" He said looking at him.

"Yes sir, and I'm willing to do whatever I can as long as it takes." Edward replied.

Charlie stood up and said "Ok Edward. I'll give you another chance."

"Thank you sir." Edward said as he shook Charlie's hand.

"So where are you staying Edward?" Charlie asked as he settled down to watch the game.

"Well, actually the hospital has begged my dad to come back to work so we'll be moving back into our old house." He replied.

Charlie just nodded.

About an hour later Alice showed up with the groceries. Edward said he had to get home to help his family unpack but he'd pick me up tomorrow.

As I hugged him he whispered "Don't worry, I'll be back later tonight. I love you."

After dinner I went upstairs to find Edward sitting on my bed.

He sat there and looked so relaxed as I checked my e-mails and sent one to my mom.

After I turned off my computer I turned around and grabbed my pajamas.

I walked over, kissed him, and said "I'll be right back. I'm just gonna go get ready for bed."

He nodded and I shut the door behind me.

As I put my jeans on the counter I heard my cell hit the counter.

I pulled it out and dialed a familar number.

After 4 rings it went to voicemail.

"Hey it's Jacob. Can't get to the phone right now. Leave a message and I'll get back to you."

I waited for the tone.

"Jake, it's Bella. Look, I know you're upset but please call me so I can explain. I miss talking to you. Please, call me."

After I brushed my hair, got it into a ponytail and brushed my hair I went back into my bedroom.

I had to laugh when I saw him.

He was reading "What to Expect When You're Expecting".

"Interesting read?" I asked as I put my clothes into the hamper and sat next to him on the bed.

He put the book on my side table and opened his arms for me to crawl into.

"I'm just trying to understand what you're going through." He said as he started to rub my belly.

"You've been going through so much and I just want to know what our baby's doing in there." He explained looking into my eyes.

We just sat there enjoying each other's company. I still pinched myself a couple of times to make sure I wasn't dreaming. But if it was a dream I didn't want to wake up.

Suddenly he asked me something.

"So when did you find out the baby's a girl?"

"Actually I'll find out next week at my appointment. But I'm pretty sure it's a girl. I've kinda known since the beginning." I explained.

Suddenly he leaned down and kissed my stomach.

Speaking to the baby he said to my stomach "Boy or girl, I love you already my precious child."

I felt the tears start to form in my eyes. I tried to stifle the sniffle I had but he heard it.

He immediately took my face in his hands.

"Baby, what's wrong?" He asked very concerned.

"Nothing Edward. I'm just so happy." I explained as I put my hand on his cheek.

We shared a passionate kiss that was starting to turn into something a lot deeper but I had to stop us.

"Edward, I can't right now. Because of the baby." I explained.

"It's ok love, I understand." He said.

He saw me stifle the yawn I knew was coming.

He laid us down and whispered in my ear "Sleep, I'll be here all night. I'll still be here when you wake up."

He then started to rub my belly.

"I love both of you girls." he said.

"We love you too." I whispered as I weaved my hand in with his.

I fell asleep on Cloud 9 that night. This was by far the BEST Valentine's day EVER.

**YAY!! Edward's home!!! Now we just gotta see of Jacob will stop being a jerk. What do my readers think? Let me know by pushing that button people!!!!!**


	13. Chapter 13: Jacob Comes to Visit

**AN: Thank you to all my reviewers. I hope the surprises I gave you guys were all you were hoping for. But will it all be easy sailing now? READ AND SEE!**

BELLA'S POV:

I woke up when the sun hit my eyes.

At first I was sure it had all been a dream. But then as I stretched I felt those strong, cold hands start rubbing my back.

I rolled over to see him laying there with his head held up by his hand smiling at me.

I put out my hand and started stroking his cheek.

He closed his eyes and turned his head to kiss my hand.

"So it wasn't a dream?" I asked.

"Come here." he whispered as he wrapped me in his arms.

He looked me in the eye and said with the most sincere and serious look I have ever seen from him "I swear to you Bella, it wasn't a dream. I'm really here, I really am staying and I really do love you and this baby."

I could feel the tears swell in my eyes. I kissed him and just laid there with him for a while.

I then started to feel my legs cramp so I knew I had to get up.

"I gotta get up and shower." I told him as I sat up and took off the covers.

"OK then, I'll go downstairs and start breakfast for you. Anything you can't eat?" He asked while I got my clothes for the day.

"Only bacon and eggs." I said casually.

Suddenly I remembered Charlie didn't know he was here.

"Wait! Charlie doesn't know you're here. You can get in big trouble!" I said quickly.

He just stood up smiling, came over to me and kissed my head.

"Don't worry, he left for work a few hours ago. He came in to check on you but he didn't see me."

"OK then." I said as grabbed my robe and started taking off my pajamas.

Suddenly Edward jumped up and walked towards the door.

"What?" I asked.

He just stood there with his face towards the door.

"Let's just say that if I don't leave now it could be a long time before you get to that shower and I get downstairs." He said.

I decided to tease him a bit. So I walked up behind him, wrapped my arms around him and pressed into him.

"Do you want to join me in the shower?" I asked in as sultry of a voice as I could.

I heard him take a deep breath to control himself.

"Honestly Bella, I would love to join you, but not until I have a ring on your finger." He said.

I suddenly realized what he said.

"Edward, do you mean that--?" I couldn't finish the question because I was in too much shock.

He turned around and looked at me.

"Yes Bella, I mean that I have every intention of marrying you and making you Mrs. Edward Cullen." He said.

I was somewhere between excited and shocked. I knew that he had sworn to help me raise the baby but I didn't realize he had planned on marrying me.

He looked at me with concern.

"Are you ok Bella?" He asked.

It took me a second to collect my thoughts.

"Yeah I'm ok Edward. Just didn't expect that." I said looking down and smiling.

I felt his hand touch my chin to raise it. He raised my head to have me look at him.

"You didn't expect me to want to marry you?" He asked looking confused.

"No, I did. I just didn't expect you to tell me this suddenly is all." I said rather quickly.

"Bella, I love you, and there's nothing I'd love more than to marry you and make you mine, forever." He said.

"Forever meaning forever, forever?" I asked.

I had been after him for a while now to turn me but he always refused. Was he finally giving in?

"I mean forever, forever." He said. "But honestly I'd like to wait until after the baby's born so no harm comes to her and after we're married ok? Can you wait just a few more months?" He asked.

"A few more months til forever? I can live with that." I said.

Suddenly a thought occured to me.

"But what about her? Will you give her the opportunity as well?" I asked.

"When she is of age I will give her the opportunity to join you and me in immortality. And it will be entirely her choice." He said with a smile.

I hugged him once more.

"But right now, I need to go fix you breakfast and you need to take your shower." He said as he opened the door.

He was shutting the door and suddenly opened it again.

"Oh, and I love you too." He said with a smile.

I knew he didn't need to read my mind to know that one.

After my shower and some breakfast me, Alice and Edward sat down to watch some TV.

Suddenly Edward said something that kinda surprised me.

"So I noticed Jacob hasn't been around alot." He said.

I didn't look up from the TV as I responded.

"He's kinda avoided the place since Alice came back. And the night she told me you were coming home was the last time I saw him. I think he's mad at me for taking you back."

"Well, I'd like to talk to him as soon as possible." He said.

I looked at him with total shock on my face.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"I just want to talk to him that's all. Can you think of any way he may come over here?" He asked casually.

"Well, I could text him telling him I need him to come over here as soon as possible. I don't know if he'll respond though." I said.

"He will." Alice suddenly said.

Edward smiled and looked at her.

"One of the perks of having a psychic in your house." He said.

We all laughed at that.

So I sent Jacob a text.

'Jacob, it's Bella, can you come here ASAP?'

A few seconds later I got a response.

'Why? What's wrong?'

'I just need you to come over immediately.' I responded.

'OK, I'll b there in a few.' was his response.

"He's on his way." I said as we got back to watching the show.

About half an hour later I heard a knock at the door.

Alice got up to get it since right now getting up and getting to the door took about 3 to 5 minutes depending on how fast I could get up.

"Are you sure about this Edward?" I asked as I heard Jacob come in.

He just kissed me and smiled.

Jacob came around the corner and saw me and Edward cuddled up on the couch.

If looks could kill we would have both been dead on the spot.

"I knew this was a mistake. I shouldn't have come here. I'm out of here." He said and started walking towards the door.

"Jacob, please, give us a chance to explain." Edward said as Jacob headed toward the door.

I then heard footsteps walking back into the living room.

He sat down in Charlie's chair.

"You've got 5 minutes. Talk." was all he said.

"Jacob, you have to understand, the only reason I left was because I thought it was best for Bella. I just wanted her to have a happy, normal life. Then Alice came back to visit Bella and told everyone back in California that Bella said she was completely miserable without me. After that I realized what a huge mistake I made. After that I kept lying to myself by saying that it was better for her if I stayed away. But then I slowly realized that I was as miserable as she was. So I decided to come home. On the day I came home Bella told me about the baby. While I admit it's a total shock and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I'm going to be a father in a few months, I have sworn to both Charlie and Bella that I'm going to take responsibility for my actions and help out Bella as much as I possibly can. I have also sworn to Bella that I will never leave her side again unless she commands me to leave and never return. I know that Bella really values her friendship with you and that's why I asked you over here. I hope you can overlook your hatred of me for Bella's sake."

After Edward had finished his little speech Jacob just sat there, put his head down, then looked back up at us with complete vindiction in his face.

"Your 5 minutes are up." he said as he stood up.

"And I'm leaving." he said as he walked towards the door.

I quickly got up (with Edward's help).

I turned towards the door just as Jacob opened it.

"Jacob wait. I know you're really mad at both of us right now. Just...please know that my door and my phone line are always open to you. Please Jacob, you're my best friend." I said as he held the doorknob in his hand.

He stood there for a second before he walked out the door slamming it behind him.

I walked back over and just let Edward hold me as I silently cried and wondered what the future now held for me and Jacob.

**Well, what do you guys think? As always PUSH THAT BUTTON and let me know people! It's gonna be about another week before I can update again. My brother is getting married this weekend and I'm gonna be busy all next week so I'll update ASAP all my devoted readers.**


	14. Chapter 14: The Big Appointment

**AN: Once again thank you to all my reviewers. Just so everyone knows, we won't see Jacob for a while. He needs to cool off and I really just wanna focus on Edward and Bella since this is their story. So if you're a Jacob lover reading this sorry but this IS Edward and Bella. **

**Onto the chapter! **

Bella's POV:

The last week had been so amazing. Edward received a call from his dad telling Edward that Alice had told everyone everything and they were on their way home to help out as much as they could.

Esme was just as excited about being a grandma as my mom was. Emmett was already telling me if I had a boy he was going to be teaching my son every sport possible. But Rosalie swore she'd reign him in as much as possible.

And I know Edward never said it but he was happy to have his family back. I could see in his face on the days before they called that he was very homesick. I also think hunting had lost its fun for him when his family wasn't here to do it with him.

But now our whole family was here to help with every step of the way.

As the sun hit my face as I woke up I realized it was Saturday and smiled a huge smile.

I was so excited for today. Today was the appointment that would tell us if we were having a boy or girl.

I got up and took my shower then went downstairs. Edward was sitting at the table having a cup of coffee while Alice fixed breakfast.

I walked over and hugged Alice before going over and sitting on Edwards' lap and kissing him.

"What did you dream about last night?" He asked as he took a sip of coffee.

"You and the baby. You were at the park with her pushing her on the swing." I reply.

"What if it's a boy though?" Alice asked from the stovetop.

"If it's a boy, it's a boy. Edward and I have both sworn to each other that we'd love this baby no matter what." I say as I feel Edward start to rub my belly.

At that point Alice puts my breakfast on the table. As soon as I smell the food the baby starts doing gymnastics in my belly.

"I think someone is hungry." Edward says with a laugh as I get off his lap and slip into the chair.

"Well, of course the baby is. She's probably excited for today too." I say subtly to see if he remembered.

He just takes a drink of coffee, stands up, and suddenly wraps his arms around me kissing my cheek.

"Not as excited as daddy is. I can't wait to find out if you're carrying my little prince or princess." He says into my hair.

After I finish breakfast Edward and I are sitting watching the news when suddenly Alice drops a water bottle in my hand.

"Alice, what is this for?" I ask as she sits in my dads' chair.

Every time my dad's at work Alice sits in his chair. She says it's the most comfortable one in the house.

"You need to drink that." She simply says.

"Alice, I already drink enough water throughout the day without you reminding me thank you." I say as I put the bottle on the table.

"I know that Bella. But I saw the note from your doctor saying you have to drink at least 4 glasses of 8 ounces of water before your appointment at 1. And it's already 10 now so start drinking girl." She says as she hands me the bottle again.

**12:30 that day**

Edward and I are in the car headed to the appointment. Only problem is I feel like my bladder is about to explode out of my body. Thanks Alice. As if the baby didn't put enough pressure on my bladder throughout the day.

After we get checked in we sit down and wait. I notice that Edward is looking all over the place and acting really nervous.

"You ok?" I ask as I take his hand.

He puts his head down, sighs, and looks at me.

"No, I'm really nervous to be honest." He says.

"Why?" I ask him.

"Because I'm finally going to see the baby for the first time. You've seen the baby before. I haven't." He says with a sad look on his face.

I just bring his hand up and kiss it, then kiss his cheek.

"You'll be ok. I promise." I promise him.

"Bella Swan?" I hear the nurse call us.

"That's us, let's go see the baby." I say as we stand up and walk through hand in hand.

As we walk into the room I see the doctor is getting everything set up. It's not Dr. Bennett but she told me before hand that she wouldn't be here so it doesn't worry me.

After he turns on all the machines and the tv he turns to us with a smile.

"Hello Bella, my name is Dr. Stewart. I'll be helping you guys out today. Go ahead and lay down and we'll get started." He says with a smile.

I lay down on the bed. Before I can even reach out my hand Edward is already holding it.

The doctor is mostly quiet for the whole process. He just keeps running the wand over my stomach. I can't make out what he's doing but apparantly he knows what he's looking for.

Suddenly he stops the monitor. I look at him concerned.

"Is everything ok?" I ask worried.

"Oh everything's fine. I just thought you'd like to see your baby's face. If you look up at the TV you can see the face. You can even make out the nose, eyes, and mouth." He says with a smile.

The sight before me is the most wonderful thing I've ever seen. My precious baby's little face. I can very obviously make out the little nose, eye, and mouth I can see in the profile. I feel a tear roll down my cheek.

Suddenly I feel something cold wipe it away. I look up and can see that if he could Edward would be crying right now too.

"Did you want to know the sex of the baby?" The doctor suddenly asks.

Edward beats me to the punch.

"Yes, please." he says working around the lump in his throat.

The doctor then finds the little area between our baby's leg.

I immediately start tearing up again.

I was right all along. It IS our little princess.

"Also, would you like me to make a video for you two? A lot of families like to make a video of this ultrasound since you can see most of the baby's features." The doctor asked.

"Yes please. There should be a VHS in my bag over there." I tell Edward.

Edward hands the VHS to the doctor and he records somethings on the video.

He then ejects the video and hands me some photos. They were photos of the baby's leg and foot, arm and fist, her sex and her precious face.

"OK well, we're done." He says as he wipes off my stomach.

As I sit up I feel all the pressure fall back on my bladder.

I frantically ask "Where's the nearest bathroom?"

The doctor points to the little room right behind the TV.

I jump off of the bed and run in. I barely make it onto the toilet before the water works started flowing.

I let out a huge sigh of relief as I felt my bladder empty.

"Sweet relief." I whisper as I grab the toilet paper.

After taking care of business I head back out to see Edward sitting there waiting for me.

"You ready to go?" He asks as he grabs my bag for me.

I just nod as I walk over and take the bag from him.

"And thank you Dr. Stewart." I say as we leave.

"You're welcome. This is one of the best parts of the job you know? Seeing the parents face when they see the baby that clear for the first time." He says with a smile.

We get out to the car and Edward holds my door as I get in. After he shuts my door he runs around the car and gets in his seat.

He just sits there for a minute. Then he smiles and starts rubbing my stomach. I smile and reach for his hand.

He watches as I take his hand and kiss it.

I go to put his hand back when he suddenly leans over and kisses my stomach.

I then hear him whisper "I can't wait to meet you my precious little princess."

My eyes well up with tears of happiness. He obviously heard me when I sniffled because he lifted his head and kissed my tears on each cheek and then kissed my lips.

After the appointment we drove over to his family's house. Charlie went there after work today because he knew we were finding out the sex of the baby today.

I walked in the door and almost got pummelled by Alice.

"What is it? What is it? What is it?" She asked constantly.

Luckily Jasper came to my aid.

He stood up and gently took her by the arms pulling her back towards the couch.

"Let her breathe Alice." He said as he sat her down.

We both sat down on the loveseat. I saw Alice take a deep breath (even though she didn't need it) to calm down.

"OK Bella. Is it a boy or girl?" Esme asked.

I looked at Edward silently asking him something and as if he knew what I was asking he nodded.

Edward turned to the family and smiled.

"It's a princess." He said with a huge smile on his face.

Alice jumped up and started clapping and squealing.

"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it." She started singing in that annoying song tone.

Edward looked at Alice confused.

"Wait, you mean you knew this whole time?" He asked.

She smirked at him.

"Well I am psychic." She said with pride in her voice.

"But I didn't want to tell you guys. I wanted you two to find out for yourself. Besides if I had told you it would have ruined the whole surprise you two just had." She said.

"Well, thank you for keeping it a secret Alice. I didn't want to know before today." I say with a smile on my face.

After that the pictures were passed and 'Awwed' over. We also watched the video Dr. Stewart had made with Carlisle interpreting for those who didn't know what they were looking at.

After the video I felt myself lean against Edward and close my eyes.

When I opened them again I was in the car and we were almost home.

"Welcome back." Edward said with a smile as we pulled into the driveway.

After I got the key in the door and Edward shut it behind me I let out a huge yawn.

"I think I need a nap." I said as Edward took my coat and hung it up.

"OK then. You go take a nap. I'll wake you up in two hours to eat and so you'll sleep tonight." He said as he hugged me.

I just nodded and headed upstairs.

**2 hours later**

I felt something lightly shaking my shoulder as I dreamed of me and Edward sitting in the delivery room after the baby was born.

But the shaking didn't stop so I finally opened my eyes.

Edward kissed my forehead as I rubbed my eyes.

"I'm sorry to wake you love, but you need to eat something." He said.

When I got downstairs I found a plate of hot tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.

After dinner we "ate" with Charlie, Edward and I sat with Charlie to watch the basketball game.

After the game was over I looked at the clock to see it was almost 11:00.

Edward must have looked too because he suddenly said "It's getting late. I should probably be getting home."

Charlie just looked up and nodded.

Edward and I walked to his car.

"Are you coming back tonight?" I asked.

"No, I can't. We need to hunt. But I promise I'll be here in the morning to wake you up." He said as he saw my face drop.

"OK, just don't rush. I don't want you to not eat enough and accidently do something you'll regret." I said.

"OK." was all he said.

He took me in a hug and kissed my head as I took in his scent. I never got tired of his scent. Every time was a new time to my nose.

"I'll be back before the dawn." He promised before leaning in and kissing me passionately.

With that he got in his car, backed out and drove away.

After Charlie and I watched the late night news I went up to bed.

After slipping into my pajamas and grabbing the photo of our daughters' face I crawled into bed.

I closed my eyes and imagined what her face would look like. She would have Edwards' eyes, mouth and chin. And my nose, ears, and eyebrows and facial structure.

I fell asleep that night dreaming of Edward holding her just after she was born.

**SOOOOOOO? Love or hate, great or horrible, lemme know ASAP all my little readers.**

**BONUS FOR REVIEWERS: In about 2 weeks I will probably have finished my next chapter. It will be this chapter from a SURPRISE CHARACTER'S POV. The first reviewer who guesses which character it will be will get a exclusive sneak peek 24 hours before I post it here on Fanfic. So if you want a special preview start guessing and PRESS THAT BUTTON PEOPLE!**


	15. Chapter 15: Chapter 14 Deux

**AN: Thank you once again to all reviewers. Unfortunately NO ONE guessed the correct surprise POV for this chapter. But I guess that means that EVERYONE gets to see the new chapter at the same time! So for ALL my readers and reviewers here's the SURPRISE POV! Hope you all enjoy.**

**EDWARD'S POV:**

I couldn't get over how much had changed in so little time.

I had broken up with the girl that gave my immortality life, realized it was the biggest mistake I had made in my 109 years of existence and decided to come home. But what awaited me at home I could have never expected.

I expected Bella to tell me to go away and never come back. I expected the entire school to exile me and never speak to me ever again. And I DEFINITELY never expected to find out I was going to be a father.

Feeling that little movement on Valentine's Day, the first time Bella or I had felt the baby move, terrified me and excited me at the same moment.

And then, when Bella told me that I was the father...if my heart could have stopped again, it would have. It was thought to be impossible for me to reproduce. I mean the rest of me was never aging or changing. The last thing I expected was that I was still producing sperm.

But although it was the last thing I ever expected I knew I now had a responsibility to Bella and to my baby. I didn't remember my father and the day that he completely disappeared from my memory I swore to myself that if I had ever had the opportunity to be a father, biologically or by adoption, that child would know their father. That didn't change now that Bella was pregnant.

I had a responsibility to her and to my child.

It had been an interesting and very bumpy ride, and I knew it wouldn't get any easier, but I also knew I wouldn't take it back for anything in the world.

Even Carlisle didn't know what to tell us.

In all of our years of existence there had never been a record of a child born to a vampire. At least, not one that the mother and child both survived.

However when I went with Bella to her checkup the doctor told us everything was right on schedule.

When I asked Carlisle he said there was a strong possibility that the baby had more of Bella's genetics than mine helping the baby and Bella to have a normal and healthy pregnancy.

It didn't matter to me, as long as Bella and the baby were healthy and not in mortal peril, I was ecstatic, yet completely terrified, to be a father.

But now that my entire family was here and they were all willing to help us it was a little easier.

Unfortunately I could see how much it was killing Bella not to have her best friend here helping out.

We had not heard or seen from Jacob since the day he came over and I tried to seek redemption with him. She would text or call him every night before bed.

She thinks I don't know because she always does it right after her shower before she comes back into the bedroom.

She forgets my hearing is ALOT better than hers'. I also hear the small sob she gives out when he doesn't pick up or respond back in a text.

I need to do something about it. Maybe after the baby's born.

Bella and I both are really looking forward to today though.

Today we're going to find out if Bella's right about us having a girl or if we're having a boy.

I slipped out of Bella's room just before sunrise so Charlie wouldn't catch me. Bella was so fast asleep she didn't even move when I removed her from my embrace.

A little while later when I knew he was sitting down for breakfast I knocked on the door acting like I was just now coming in for the day.

"Come in." I heard him say just before I opened the door.

"Hello Mr. Swan." I say as I walk into the kitchen.

"Hey Edward, would you like something to eat? Alice is making another buffet it seems." He said as he filled his plate with bacon, eggs, sausage, mini pancakes and toast.

"No thank you Mr. Swan, I already had breakfast at home. I'll just have a cup of coffee." I said as I headed over to the coffee pot.

I couldn't digest human food but coffee passed through my system like it was water.

After Charlie had breakfast he left for work.

"So when are you gonna tell Bella?" Alice asked.

"Soon, on March 8th to be exact." I tell her as I take a drink of coffee.

"She's gonna love it. It's gonna be the best gift she has ever gotten." Alice said as she continued to cook now fixing Bella's breakfast.

"How would you know that?" I asked.

"Seriously Edward? Did you forget?" She asked pointing to her head.

"Oh yeah, psychic. Sorry forgot." I say feeling a little ridiculous.

Suddenly I hear the squeaking of Bella's bed as she got up. I then heard the shower start to run.

Alice got a plate out of the cupboard as I got another cup of coffee.

As I sat back down I heard the shower shut off. About 10 minutes later Bella came down.

She walked over and hugged Alice good morning.

She then came over, sat on my lap and gave me one AMAZING kiss.

"So what did you dream about last night?" I asked her as I took another drink of coffee.

It killed me that I couldn't read her mind and she had told me that most of her dreams right now included me, her and the baby so I was very interested in the dreams she was having right now.

"You and the baby. You were at the park with her pushing her on the swing." She replied.

It felt so good when she told me the dreams she had of me and the baby were happy and good ones.

"What if it's a boy though?" Alice asked from the stovetop.

It wasn't like she didn't know. She just liked teasing us like this.

"If it's a boy, it's a boy. Edward and I have both sworn to each other that we'd love this baby no matter what." Bella said as I started rubbing her belly.

I loved rubbing her belly. It made me feel that much closer to the baby.

At that point Alice puts Bella's' breakfast on the table. As soon as the aroma hit my nose I felt the baby start doing gymnastics in Bella's belly.

"I think someone is hungry." I say jokingly as Bella got off my lap and slipped into the chair.

"Well, of course the baby is. She's probably excited for today too." Bella said.

I knew she was testing me to see if I remembered. But how could I forget? I had been looking forward to today all week.

I simply took a drink of coffee, stood up, and suddenly wrapped my arms around Bella kissing her cheek.

"Not as excited as daddy is. I can't wait to find out if you're carrying my little prince or princess." I say into her hair.

After Bella finished breakfast her and I are sitting watching the news when suddenly Alice drops a water bottle in Bella's hand.

"Alice, what is this for?" Bella asked as Alice sat in her dads' chair.

"You need to drink that." She simply says.

"Alice, I already drink enough water throughout the day without you reminding me thank you." Bella says as she puts the bottle on the table.

"I know that Bella. But I saw the note from your doctor saying you have to drink at least 4 glasses of 8 ounces of water before your appointment at 1. And it's already 10 now so start drinking girl." She says as she hands Bella the bottle again.

**12:30 that day**

Bella and I are in the car headed to the appointment. As I'm driving I can see Bella slightly fidgeting from side to side. Thanks Alice . As if the baby didn't put enough pressure on Bella's bladder throughout the day.

After we get checked in we sit down and wait. I start looking all over the place, shaking my leg and tapping my fingers on the arm of the chair.

I knew I would be nervous, just didn't expect to be showing it this bad.

"You ok?" I hear Bella ask me as she took my hand in hers.

I put my head down, feeling ashamed, sighed and looked at her.

There was so much understanding and wanting in her eyes I couldn't help but be honest.

"No, I'm really nervous to be honest." I told her.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because I'm finally going to see the baby for the first time. You've seen the baby before. I haven't." I said feeling the sadness and nervousness inside me drip out onto my face.

She picked up our hands and kissed mine, then she kissed my cheek.

"You'll be ok. I promise." She promised to me.

"Bella Swan?" we hear the nurse call out.

"That's us, let's go see the baby." Bella says as we stand up and walk through hand in hand.

As we walk into the room I see the doctor getting everything set up. It's not Dr. Bennett but Bella told me that Dr. Bennett told her before hand that she wouldn't be here. So I told Bella if it doesn't worry her then I'm ok with it.

After the doctor turns on all the machines and the TV he turns to us with a smile.

"Hello Bella, my name is Dr. Stewart. I'll be helping you guys out today. Go ahead and lay down and we'll get started." He tells her with a smile.

I let go of Bella's hand so she can lay on the bed. As soon as I can tell she's comfortable I immediately take hold of her hand again.

The doctor doesn't say much throughout the process. He just keeps running the wand over Bella's stomach. I never studied gynecology so I don't quite know what all he's looking for but I know that he does.

Suddenly he stops the monitor. I immediately look at Bella then the doctor.

"Is everything ok?" Bella asks before I can.

"Oh everything's fine. I just thought you'd like to see your baby's face. If you look up at the TV you can see the face. You can even make out the nose, eyes, and mouth." He says with a smile.

This is by far the best thing I have seen in my 109 years of existence. Our precious baby's little face. I can quite obviously make out her little nose, eye and mouth that we can see in the profile.

I then looked down at Bella and saw that she was crying. But I knew they were happy tears.

If I could have I would have been crying those same tears.

I delicately took my pointer finger and wiped away the tear I saw escape her eye.

Bella looks at me and gives me a knowing look. Like she knows if I could cry with her I would.

Suddenly the doctor's voice snaps me out of my little daydream.

"Did you want to know the sex of the baby?" he asks.

I responded so quickly I think the doctor got whiplash.

"Yes, please." I said working around the very large lump in my throat.

The doctor then found the little area between our baby's legs.

Bella was right all along. She IS our little princess.

"Also, would you like me to make a video for you two? A lot of families like to make a video of this ultrasound since you can see most of the baby's features." the doctor asked.

I didn't even know if Bella had packed a tape.

"Yes please. There should be a VHS in my bag over there." she says as she looks at me.

I guess she did bring a tape.

I go over and grab the VHS and hand it to the doctor so he can record some things on the video.

He then ejects the video and hands Bella some photos. They were photos of the baby's leg and foot, arm and fist, her sex, and her precious face.

"OK well, we're done." the doctor says as he wipes off Bella's stomach.

As Bella sits up I suddenly see her eyes get very big.

I'm about to ask her what's wrong when she turns to the doctor.

"Where's the nearest bathroom?" she frantically asks.

I should have known. Thanks again Alice.

The doctor points to the little room behind the TV.

Bella jumps off the bed and runs into the bathroom.

I suddenly hear her sigh.

"Sweet relief." I hear her whisper.

I can't help but smile as I hear her.

I sit down and wait for her until she comes out of the bathroom.

"You ready to go?" I ask as I grab her bag for her.

She just nods as she walks over and takes the bag from me.

"And thank you Dr. Stewart." she says as I open the door for us to leave.

"You're welcome. This is one of the best parts of the job you know? Seeing the parents face when they see the baby that clear for the first time." he says with a smile.

We get out to the car and I hold her door for her as she gets in. After I shut her door I humanly run around the car and get in my seat.

I just sat there for a minute taking it all in. It suddenly REALLY hit me how real all of this was. I am going to be a father. Bella is carrying MY child.

I couldn't help the sudden excitement and happiness that overwhelmed me. I could feel myself smile.

I reached over and started rubbing Bella's stomach.

I saw Bella reach for my hand.

I watched her as she took my hand and kissed it.

She went to put my hand back when I decided to kiss her stomach.

I silently whispered to my little girl. "I can't wait to meet you my little princess."

Suddenly I hear a tiny voice say "I can't wait to me you either."

I momentarily wonder what that was until I hear Bella sniffle.

I lift my head up and kiss the tears on her cheeks and then kiss her lips.

After the appointment we drove to my family's house.

Charlie's cruiser was parked outside the house. He told me he was coming over today because he wanted to know what we found out.

As we walked in the door Alice nearly pummeled Bella.

"What is it? What is it? What is it?" she constantly asked.

Luckily Jasper came to Bella's aid.

He stood up and gently took Alice by the arms pulling her back toward the couch.

"Let her breathe Alice." he said as he sat her down.

We both sat down on the loveseat. I saw Alice take a deep breath (even though we all knew she didn't need to) to calm down.

"OK Bella. Is it a boy or girl?" Esme asked.

Bella looked at me silently asking me something. I didn't have to read her mind to know what that look said. I simply nodded though.

I turned to the family and smiled.

"It's a princess." I told them with a huge smile on my face.

Alice suddenly jumped up and started clapping and squealing.

"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it." she started singing in an annoying song tone.

I looked at her confused.

"Wait, you mean you knew the whole time?" I asked.

I only thought she had had the vision a couple of weeks ago.

She just smirked at me.

"Well, I am psychic." she said with pride in her voice.

"But I didn't want to tell you guys. I wanted you to find out for yourself. Besides if I had told you it would have ruined the whole surprise you two just had." she said.

With an argument like that I couldn't disagree with her. She smiled at me as if SHE knew what I was thinking.

"Well, thank you for keeping it a secret Alice. I didn't want to know before today." Bella said with a smile on her face.

After that the pictures were passed around and 'Awwwed' over. We also watched the video Dr. Stewart had made with Carlisle interpreting for those who didn't know what they were looking at.

At least one of us had studied gynecology.

After the video I felt Bella lean against me. As I looked at her I saw her close her eyes.

I turned to my family a few minutes later.

"I should get Bella home before she falls asleep over here." I told them.

Esme looked at Bella with an understanding smile on her face.

I knew Esme had been where Bella was now. In fact I went to her quite often asking her if some of what Bella was going through was normal. She answered everything with patience and understanding. She was definitely a mother at heart.

Carlisle helped me with the bags and the car door as I put Bella in the car and strapped her in.

We were just about home when I heard Bella breathe deeply and saw her start to stretch.

"Welcome back." I said with a smile as we pulled into the driveway.

After Bella got the key in the door and I had shut it I heard Bella let out a huge yawn.

"I think I need a nap." she says as I take her coat and hang it up.

"OK then. You go take a nap. I'll wake you up in two hours to eat and so you'll sleep tonight." I tell her as I hug her.

She just nodded and headed upstairs.

After I heard her bed squeak letting me know that she had gotten in I went into the living room. I thought about turning on the TV but instead went over to the bookshelf.

I scanned the shelves looking for a good book to read. Suddenly my eyes caught on an old tattered photo book. I pulled it out to see what it was.

It was a baby photo book of Bella's. I was taken aback at the photo that was on the front. It was obviously a photo that was taken in her first few weeks of life. She was truly a beauty from the beginning.

I couldn't help but open the book. There were pictures from Charlie and Rene holding her the day she was born all the way up to her school photo taken last year.

As I closed the book I thought about how much I hoped and prayed that our baby girl would be as gorgeous as her mother.

I had just put the book back when I heard the front door open.

"Bella?" Charlie called as he hung up his coat.

I came out of the living room into the walkway.

"She's upstairs taking a nap." I explained to Charlie.

He just looked at me, nodded, and walked past me into the living room.

I had to break the tension with Charlie if he was going to be my father-in-law someday. And today seemed as good a day as any.

I walked into the living room and sad down on the couch.

"Mr. Swan," I said getting his attention, "I know you really hate me right now so why don't we just get everything out into the open and try to make this work. For Bella and the baby's sake." I said hoping he would agree.

He turned off the TV and sat up in his chair.

"Honestly Edward, you're lucky to be alive right now." he said giving me a very serious look.

I wasn't sure where this was going but if he pulled out his shotgun I knew I was going to have to do some fast talking.

"The day you walked back into this house and told me you wanted to fix everything with Bella I wanted to just go into my room, grab my shotgun and put a thousand holes into your body." he said bluntly.

I kept silent letting him finish before I said anything.

"But then that night I laid there thinking about what had transpired throughout the day. I realized…you got guts kid."

I looked up shocked.

"I don't know how many guys I've seen in town that get a girl pregnant and hop the next but out of here never to come home. Now I don't know what caused you to come back. – Did Bella tell you about the baby?" he suddenly asked.

"No sir, I didn't find out about the baby until I met Bella at school on Valentine's Day." I explained.

"Then, no offense, but…why DID you come back?" he asked.

"First of all, no offense taken. Second of all, I came back because I found life…incomplete without Bella." I told him. "Everyday was the same; there was no reason to get out of bed anymore. It felt like I was in a lifeless void and I never knew how passionately I love your daughter until we had to leave when Carlisle got the teaching job." I explained as best I could.

"I'll comment on that in a moment." he said. "First of all I want to get back to my original point. Like I said before: I've seen so many girls tell their boyfriends they're pregnant and the boyfriend jumps ship. I was honestly surprised when you told me you knew about the baby and you wanted to take full responsibility for her and Bella. And I admire the maturity and chivalry you have to do that."

He sat back a second and sighed. I did the same feeling a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.

Then Charlie sat back up straight.

"Now then, what's this about how you passionately love my daughter?" he asked.

I knew this could either go really good or really bad. I was hoping for the first.

I sat forward and looked Charlie square in the eye.

"Mr. Swan, I am going to be 100% honest with you about how I feel about your daughter." I said.

I waited for a response.

He held out his hand as if willing me to go on.

"Mr. Swan, I love your daughter. She, to me, is the reason to my life. She is my reason for getting up out of bed every morning. I honestly can't picture a future with her not in it. In fact that's why I begged my father to let me come visit her and Alice. I missed seeing Alice but I HAD to see Bella. And that day in the classroom when I saw Bella I expected her to tell me to leave and never come back. And if she had I would have done exactly as she said. I would have never bothered her again. But she didn't. And now that I know she's carrying our child it just makes me love her even more." I said quickly.

I watched him for a minute as he processed all that I said.

He then sat back in his chair and sighed.

"Wow." was all that he said at first.

I waited till he continued.

"I didn't know you felt that strongly for her." he said looking at me.

"Yes sir, I do." was all I said.

"And what kind of future DO you see with Bella?" he asked.

"Honestly Mr. Swan, I fully intend to, with your blessing beforehand of course, marry your daughter and spend the rest of my life with her and our daughter. I'm not sure how she will feel about having more children but I figure we'll cross that bridge after we're married." I told him.

He just sat there and nodded thinking about all of this.

Finally he spoke.

"Well Edward, as long as you come to me beforehand and ask for my blessing I don't think there will be any way you won't get that future." he said.

I looked at him a little surprised. I honestly didn't expect him to be that understanding.

He saw the look on my face and smiled.

"Like I said, you've got guts Edward. It took a lot of guts for you to come home. Let alone face me on the same day. Then coming to me to my face today to lay it all out on the line? I know for a fact that no other guy in town would do that." he said with a smile.

I reached out my hand and shook Charlie's hand.

"Now enough of this touchy feely stuff, we're missing the game." he said as he reached for the remote.

'I really hope Bella makes the right choice and sticks with him. He really is a good kid.' I heard his thoughts read loud and clear.

I smiled to myself as sat back to watch the game with Charlie.

I started to feel like this would turn out alright after all.

About half an hour later I heard the front door again.

"Don't worry, it's just me." Alice said as she carried in some bags.

"Alice, what is all that?" Charlie asked as she put the bags on the kitchen counter.

"Groceries." she replied simply.

"Alice you don't have to buy us groceries." Charlie replied.

"Well, Mr. Swan, Bella told me that she's usually the one who shops for food. And I told her that while she was pregnant I would take care of stocking your cupboards." she replied with a smile.

"Oh, ok." Charlie said.

'Note to self, talk to Bella.' I heard his mind say clearly.

I couldn't help the smile that fell across my face.

Suddenly I realized it had been 2 hours since Bella went upstairs to take a nap.

"I'll be right back everybody. I need to go wake up Bella or she won't sleep tonight." I said as I headed for the stairway.

"Good, cause I'm starting dinner." Alice said as she pulled the bread, butter and cheese out of the refrigerator.

I knocked on Bella's door. But I got no response.

I opened the door to see her lying on top of the covers. She had grabbed the body pillow from the side of the bed and was hugging it.

Usually I was the body pillow so she didn't use the actual pillow that much.

I lightly shook her shoulder trying to get her to wake up.

When she didn't respond the first time I shook her again.

This time her eyes popped open and she stared rubbing them.

I leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry to wake you love, but you need to eat something." I said.

When we got downstairs there were plates of hot tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

After we "ate" dinner Bella and I sat and watched the basketball game with Charlie.

Alice had volunteered to wash up after dinner so Bella and I could relax.

After the game was over I saw Bella look at the clock.

I instinctively looked as well.

It was almost 11:00.

Suddenly I could feel a burn at the back of my throat. I remembered that tonight was hunting night.

As my mouth started to water I knew I had to leave soon. And fast.

"It's getting late. I should probably be getting home." I said as Bella and I stood up.

I saw Charlie look up and nod.

Bella and I walked to my car hand in hand.

"Are you coming back tonight?" she asked.

I could hear the hope in her voice. And as much as I wanted to I knew that if I did it would be disastrous for her and our baby.

"No, I can't. We need to hunt."

I saw her face drop.

"But I promise I'll be here in the morning to wake you up." I said quickly.

I couldn't stand seeing her upset since the day I had broken her heart 5 months ago.

I saw her face light up a little bit more.

"OK, just don't rush. I don't want you to not eat enough and accidentally do something you'll regret." she said.

At times it seemed she could read MY mind.

"OK." was all I could say.

I then took her into a hug and kissed her head. As I did I could hear her silently inhaling deeply. I knew what she was doing. She was memorizing my scent until I returned to her. I never understood why she did but I let her anyway.

After our embrace I looked her in the eye.

"I'll be back before the dawn." I promised her before leaning in and kissing her passionately.

With that I got in the car, backed up and drove away.

When I got home I went upstairs while we waited for Alice to get home. She usually came home right after Bella went to bed.

As I sat at my desk listening to Debussy by Claire DeLune I smiled at the paper I had in my hand.

I was going to give this paper to Bella on the 8th of next month. I couldn't wait to see her face.

I heard Carlisle call everyone into the living room. Alice much have come in.

I put the paper back in the manila envelope and headed downstairs.

It was time to hunt.

**OK POP QUIZ for all my readers: What is the significance of March 8th for Edward and Bella? First person to get it right gets a preview of the next chapter before it gets posted on fanfic. ALSO: What do you think the special gift is? Whoever gets THAT question right will get a special guest appearance in the next chapter. I will just need your name and what HUMAN part you would like to have (main characters off limits of course). SO PUSH THAT BUTTON PEOPLE. PLEASE R&R! Love you all!**


	16. Chapter 16: The Special Date

**AN: I know I say this alot but THANK YOU to all my reviewers. You really make me feel like I'm not wasting my time with this story. I really had a fun time writing this chapter. I really hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. **

BELLA'S POV:

The last few weeks had been amazing. Alice and Jessica were busy starting to plan my baby shower. Charlie and Edward had been getting along alot better. They even were talking about the news that they watched every night.

Unfortunately all my calls and texts to Jacob still went unaswered.

But I wasn't worried about that today.

Today was March 8th.

Today was mine and Edward's first anniversary of our first date.

This day held many significances for me. It was the first time Edward had saved my life. It was our first date. It was the first night Edward started giving me answers. And of course, it was the night I had realized I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

All Edward had told me about today was that he was going to make it an amazing day I would never forget.

I woke up as the sun hit my eyes.

As I made my way downstairs I heard Edward and Charlie in the kitchen talking. And laughing.

Laughing was always good. It meant they weren't killing each other.

As I walked in Edward looked at me and just started grinning.

I just smiled as I was still waking up.

He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a warm embracing hug and kissed my hair.

"I can't stay much longer. I need to get some things ready for tonight." he said as I placed my face into his chest and just smelled his shirt.

I just nodded.

I lived for these moments. When so much was said without any words.

"I'll be back at noon to get you. For now just dress casual." he told me.

I pulled back and just nodded.

He kissed me passionately and then walked over, shook Charlie's hand and left.

"So what did you two talk about before I came down?" I asked as I grabbed the cereal and milk.

"Just talking. Nothing super important." Charlie said casually.

But as I looked at him I could tell he was hiding something.

But at that moment baby girl decided to start doing her daily gymnastics so I was distracted from asking him what he was hiding.

I was washing the dishes when Charlie took his last sip of coffee.

"I gotta go to work. I'll talk to you tonight?" he asked as he put his cup next to me.

"Yeah, if you're up when I get home." I said jokingly.

He just gave me a smile and grabbed his coat and gun before heading out the door.

After I put the dishes away I went upstairs to get ready for today.

I grabbed my favorite pair of maternity jeans and my light blue long sleeve shirt. I also picked up my converse shoes and grabbed my hoodie.

One thing I had learned in Forks: Always be prepared for unpredictable weather.

After I had all my clothes for the day I went into the bathroom. I had time for a quick shower before Edward came to pick me up.

After my shower I got dressed, brushed out my hair and pulled it up into a ponytail.

Just as I finished putting my makeup on I heard the front door open.

"Bella?" I heard him call from the hallway.

"I'll be right down!" I yelled from the bathroom.

I tossed my dirty towel into the hamper and went to my bedroom.

I grabbed my purse and coat before heading downstairs.

I saw Edward sitting at the table when I came downstairs.

I walked into the kitchen and as soon as he saw me his whole face lit up.

He met me halfway into the room and embraced me, then gave me a chaste yet passionate kiss.

"You look gorgeous." he said as I grabbed my water bottle and filled it with water.

"I look like a blimp." I said.

After I filled it I turned around and smiled at him.

"But I appreciate it anyway." I said.

He just came up to me put his hands on my stomach and smiled at me.

"Bella, you're carrying the most precious thing in my life next to you. For that reason, you are always beautiful to me." he said with pure sincerity in his voice.

I smiled as a thought occured to me.

"So even if I was having major morning sickness and asking you to hold my hair as I worshiped the porcelain king you'd still think I'm beautiful?" I asked.

He smiled, kissed my forehead and just said, "Absolutely gorgeous."

I just smiled and shook my head.

"What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?" I asked him as we walked to the front door.

"Bella believe me, I ask myself that every day." He said as he opened the door for me.

After I locked the house door we walked to the shiny sliver volvo. He held the door for me as I got in then walked over and got in his side.

"So what are we doing today?" I asked.

"Well, I tought a picnic would be nice. Then I have a surprise for you." he said as he started the car and backed out onto the street.

"You know I don't like surprises." I said to him.

"You'll like this one I promise." he said with a smile as he took my hand in his.

Of course I didn't take him too long to drive to a familiar spot.

I recognized the spot he had parked. The last time he parked here was a year ago.

"The meadow is our picnic sight?" I asked.

"I thought it would be the most private and romantic place for us today." he said.

"Is it ok?" he suddenly asked.

I just leaned over and kissed him.

"It's perfect." I tell him.

After he smiled at me he got out and grabbed the cooler that must have had our lunch out of the back seat.

Suddenly a thought occured to me.

"Edward, you think the hike will hurt her?" I asked rubbing my stomach.

He smiled and came over and put his hand on mine.

"No, I called your doctor yesterday and told her I was planning on taking you on a hike today and asked her if the baby would be ok. She said as long as you take some breaks and don't exhaust yourself then she'll be ok. Of course I didn't tell her you wouldn't be walking the hike." he said still smiling.

I looked at him confused before remembering he liked to give me piggyback rides to the meadow.

"Ok." I said as I got on his back.

I kissed his cheek and saw him smile before we sped off into the woods.

The picnic was amazing. Edward had packed me a sandwich, a string cheese, and a small bag of chips. He also had alot of water bottles for him and me.

I ate in the comfort of his arms while he stroked my hair and rubbed my belly.

After I ate we both just laid back and held each other.

"Days like this are days I wish would never end." I whispered into his ear.

He just smiled and turned his face to me.

"You know I was thinking the other day about how much different our relationship would have been if we met back in 1918." he said.

I sat up and looked down at him.

"How do you mean?" I asked.

He sat up too before answering me.

"Well, if we had met back then I would have courted you. With chaperoned walks in the park, drinking iced tea on the front porch. I might have even stolen a kiss or two." he said with a smile on his face.

Suddenly his face got serious and I saw him reach into his coat pocket and pull something out.

"And after asking your father's premission I would have gotten down on one knee," he said as he repositioned himself so he WAS down on only one knee.

Then he opened the box he had pulled out of his pocket.

Inside was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. It was oval with many beautiful diamonds on it.

"This was my mother's." I heard him say.

I suddenly looked back into his eyes. There was so much love, passion, and worry in his eyes.

"Bella Swan, I promise to love you for every day of forever. Will you marry me?" he asked.

I suddenly realized why there was worry in his face. He was worried I would say no.

There was only one way to answer that.

I smiled at him and quickly said, "Yes, of course yes."

His face lit up like a christmas tree on christmas eve as he placed the ring on my finger.

He then gently helped me up, hugged me and swung us around before gently putting me back down and kissing me fervently.

This was by far one of the happiest moments of my life.

Suddenly I realized we had a problem.

"Edward, Charlie isn't gonna let you live with us. Even if we are married." I said as I gently slid out of his embrace.

Suddenly Edward started smiling. He pulled out a folded paper from his jacket pocket.

"That's why this is the second part of your gift today." he said as he handed me the paper.

I took it looking confused.

I opened it up to see that it was a lease to an apartment.

I looked at Edward is disbelief.

"I bought it last month. I know you've been looking for a place for you and the baby. You would have gotten the apartment whether you said yes or no, but I had a feeling you'd say yes." he said with a smile on his face.

I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his cheek.

"I love you." was all I could think to say at this moment.

"I love you too." he whispered back.

After we had hugged I looked at the lease and smiled.

I then looked up at him and asked "Can we go see it?"

"Of course. Hop on." he said before I climbed on his back and we ran out of the meadow.

_30 MINUTES LATER_

He opened the apartment and I was amazed at how big it was.

It is a 2 story apartment with a big living room, a kitchen with a small space for a table and chairs, 2 bathrooms and 3 bedrooms.

Edward took me upstairs to the last bedroom on the right. It is very spacious with a big widow on the back wall that lets the sun in to fill the entire room.

"This is the second biggest bedroom." he said. "I think it would be perfect for her."

I turn around and smile at him.

He looks so sexy leaning against the doorframe with that crooked smile on his face.

I walk over to him and wrap my arms around him.

"You're lucky there's not a bed in this apartment yet you realize?" I ask him.

I hear him chuckle softly as he wraps his arms around me.

"Well don't worry, after the baby's born we'll get right on giving her a brother or sister." he says.

"What if I don't wanna wait that long?" I ask as I let my hands slide down to his chest.

Suddenly he pulls us apart and looks at me with a determination on his face.

"Bella, I love you, and I would love to MAKE love to you. But I want to have the next time be on our honeymoon. Please just grant me that?" he pleaded.

As much as I wanted to, I loved him too much to argue it with him.

"OK Edward, our wedding night." I said.

Then I got a fake serious look on my face.

"But if you make me wait one day longer than that you'll be the one coming to ME begging for some sheet action." I said.

He just chuckled and wrapped his arm around me as we walked out and back downstairs.

"Something tells me I don't need to worry about that." he said as we walked outside and he locked the door.

Edward looked at his watch and his face fell a bit.

"We gotta get you home." he said as we got into the car.

"Why what's wrong?" I asked as I buckled my seat belt.

"If we don't get you home to get ready now, we're gonna be late for dinner." he said as he pulled out onto the street.

I just nodded as he took my hand while we drove back to my place.

As he pulled into the driveway he finally spoke.

"Alice should be inside waiting for you."

"Alice?" I said with a hint of fear in my voice.

I loved the girl but sometimes her obsession with fashion scared me.

He just smiled and chuckled.

"Don't worry I talked to her and she promised to keep it simple yet tasteful." he promised.

"I'll be back in 2 hours." he promised me as he leaned over and kissed me.

I just nodded and got out of the car.

I almost feared going into the house. I had no idea how bad Alice could make this.

I walked in and didn't see anyone at first.

"Hello?" I called out.

Suddenly Alice came downstairs.

"Charlie is eating at Billy's tonight so he doesn't have to see all the 'girly' stuff we're doing. His words not mine." she said as she practically pulled me upstairs.

"Alice-" I started to say.

"No buts or anything Bella, you're my little lab rat for right now." She said as we walked down the short hallway.

"Now take a shower then meet me in your room." She said with a smile on her face.

_90 MINUTES LATER_

Alice had done my hair, makeup, and was now pulling something out of my closet.

I could tell it was a black and dark red dress but I wasn't sure of one thing.

"Alice, are you sure that's gonna fit around this one here?" I asked as I rubbed my belly.

She just smiled.

"Don't worry Bella, I took your measurements the other day remember?" she said as she took the dress off of the hanger.

She then helped me get the dress on.

It was a beautiful dress. The body of the dress was a dark red with a black outline. It went down to just below my knees and was a spaghetti strap with a V-neck to it.

I almost didn't recongnize the woman standing in front of the mirror.

Alice seemed to vocalize how I felt at that moment.

"You're gorgeous." She said with a smile as she rechecked my hair and makeup making sure we hadn't messed it up while putting on the dress.

Suddenly we heard the doorbell ring.

Alice smiled at me.

"I'll get it. You come down after a count of 10 OK?" she said as she opened the door.

I just nodded as she shut the door.

I silently counted to myself.

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

I took a deep breath, opened the door and headed downstairs.

Edward looked so handsome.

He was wearing a black overcoat with a black shirt underneath with a red tie, black slacks and black shoes.

He even looked like he had brushed his hair.

He was smiling at Alice before he heard me come downstairs.

He looked at me like I was the last woman on earth.

Then he came over to the stairs, took my hand and kissed my forehead.

"You look absolutely stunning." he said.

I smiled and silently thanked him.

Alice hugged me, told us to have a good time, and then Edward escorted me to his car.

"So where are we going?" I asked as we got onto the road.

"I made reservations at La Bella Italia." he said with a smile.

I smiled at him and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"For remembering where our first date was." I say with a smile as I take his hand in mine.

We were greeted at the door by the hostess.

"Table for two, Cullen" Edward said.

The hostess found our names and smiled as she escorted us to our table.

Shortly after being seated our waitress came over.

"Good evening, my name is Brittney and I will be your server this evening." She said with a smile on her face.

"Just let me know when you're ready to order." She said as she walked over to another table to check on her customer.

Dinner that night was amazing.

I ordered the mushroom ravioli's with a water. Edward of course didn't order anything besides a water.

After dinner he suggested we go to his house to annouce our engagement.

On the drive there I decided to ask him something.

"So have you thought of any name's for her yet?" I asked as I rubbed my belly.

"No have you?" he asked.

"I was playing around with some names the other day. What do you think of Renessme Elizabeth Cullen?" I asked.

"Renessme?" he asked confused.

"Yeah, it's a mix of Renee and Esme." I said.

I could see he was playing with it around in his head.

"Renessme...I like it." he said with a smile.

"But how did you come up with Elizabeth?" he asked.

"I know it's your real mother's name Edward. I thought you'd want her to live on in her granddaughter." I said.

Suddenly I was worried he'd be upset I decided to use that name.

But he just smiled and took my hand and rubbed it against his cheek.

"Thank you Bella. That means so much to me." he said just before I saw the lights of the house.

"No thanks is necessary." I said as I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

We got inside just as I heard Alice say "And she said yes!"

Suddenly we realized that Alice had just told them we were engaged.

Everyone looked up as we came inside.

Then Alice turned around and saw us.

Her eyes got big and she gave us a very apologetic look.

"Oops?" she said with a look that said please forgive me.

Edward just looked at me and smiled.

"Just as long as it never happens again." he said to her with a smile.

She smiled at us and held up 2 fingers.

"Never again scouts honor." she said with a smile.

This was followed by many hugs, kisses and congratulations.

After I showed everyone the ring I saw Edward leaning against the doorframe next to the stairs.

He cocked his head to the side signaling me to walk over to him.

We walked up to the top floor and Edward opened a door I had never seen before.

It was the door to the roof.

Edward had laid out a blanket with 2 extra blankets folded next to it.

I looked at him confused as he walked us over and grabbed one of the blankets.

He then wrapped his coat over my shoulders before helping me sit down.

He then sat down behind me and pulled me back so I was leaning onto his stomach.

Then he grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around us before wrapping his arms around me.

We just sat there cuddled up staring at the stars.

"I'd forgotten how beautiful the stars are." I said quietly.

"Yes, they are beautiful." I heard Edward say.

Then I heard him whisper in my ear "But they are just specks of dust next to your radiant beauty."

I just smiled and turned around to kiss him.

I then turned back around and leaned back into his chest.

We sat up their staring at the stars while Edward gently stroked Renessme inside.

I don't know when I fell asleep but I woke up for about 5 minutes around 3 in the morning.

I looked around before suddenly feeling those familiar cold arms wrap around me.

"It's ok," he whispered, "just sleep."

That was the last thing I heard before drifting back into my peaceful slumber.

This was by far one of the greatest days of my entire life.

I knew, even after I was turned, I would never forget this day.

**So what do you think? Just so everyone knows I'm sorry this took so long to get up. But it seems my creative juices are dripping more than pouring right now. But I PROMISE I'll update as much and as soon as I can.**

**Don't forget to please push that button and R&R. So PUSH THAT BUTTON MY AVID READERS.**


	17. Chapter 17: Nightmares and Setup

**AN: Thank you to all my readers for being so patient with me. I've been wracking my brain to find a filler chapter for in between the last chapter and the next one I'm going to write and I finally found an idea in the dusty corners! I hope you all enjoy it and continue to read and review!**

**P.S. I would have had this up sooner but the internet has been down for the past 3 days and now it's finally up YAY!  
**

BELLA'S POV:

_I heard her coo and start to fuss over the monitor. As I rolled over to go get her I noticed Edward wasn't in bed with me. Yet I still heard her. So I got up to see what was wrong. She may be hungry._

_I walked into her room and almost fainted at the scene before me._

_Edward lay on the floor horribly dismembered._

_I immediately looked over to Renessme's crib and began to scream._

_The redhead just turned around and smiled before lunging towards me._

I woke with a start and looked around.

I saw that the clock said 2 a.m.

I immediately started searching for my phone. I had to call Edward and make sure he was safe.

As I reached for the phone I felt something cold on my shoulders.

I almost screamed before I turned to see it was him.

I clung to him so hard that if he was human I probably would have broken his ribs.

"Sshh, it's alright love, I'm here. It's OK." He kept saying as I clung to him.

As my breathing started to regulate I realized that he was rubbing my swollen stomach as well.

I looked at him a little confused.

He just smiled and said "When you're under stress so is Renessme. I figured if I could get one of you calm the other would follow."

I continued to hold him as he laid us back down in the bed.

"You want to tell me what that was all about?" he asked as he started to rub my back.

"A nightmare." I said, knowing that wouldn't be enough for him.

"About what?" he asked.

"Her." was all I said.

I heard him breathe deep before he replied.

"You don't have to worry about her Bella, you're forever safe with me." he said.

I sat up a bit and looked him in the eye.

"But Edward, what if she comes after Renessme? In the dream I walked into her room and you were...dismembered in the corner and Victoria was standing over her crib. All she would have to do is destroy you and then-"

"She's gone Bella." he said interrupting my rant.

I looked at him confused.

"What do you mean by gone?" I asked.

"While I was away from you, me and my entire family were busy tracking Victoria. Only Carlisle was in New York teaching at Cornell University. And even then he was doing everything he could to help us on the tracking and hunting down. And we finally found her. She was in Canada trying to build an army. But she only had a handful of them when we got there. With Jasper's knowledge of how to defeat newborns and all our skills combined we had taken down the whole army in just a few hours. But Victoria got away. It took us almost 3 more weeks to find her. But we did. With no army for her to hide behind she was an easy take-down for the 6 of us." He explained while stroking my hair and rubbing my stomach.

Suddenly he smiled.

"But Jasper allowed me the pleasure of delivering the final blow. They held her down while I ripped her head off."

I looked up at him a little disgusted.

He gave me a confused look.

"What?" he asked.

"I just never have seen you actually enjoy the destruction of another being." I said.

"Well usually, I don't, but Victoria has been haunting our lives and dreams for far too long. And now that I know about Renessme I'm even more grateful that we hunted down and killed Victoria."

"Really?"

"Bella, as I keep telling you, I love you and Renessme more than my own...existence. I would do ANYTHING to keep you two safe and happy. If anything ever happened to the two of you I don't think I could survive." He said.

I just smiled before kissing him and snuggling into his chest.

I don't know when I fell asleep but I do know that when I woke up I was alone.

I saw a note written on my pillow.

_'Had to go hunting. I will be back before you've finished breakfast. I love you.'_

I smiled as I stretched and felt her start to squirm.

I laughed to myself as I lifted my shirt and starting rubbing my belly.

"Well good morning to you too sweetheart." I said.

After I laid there for a bit watching my stomach move as she wiggled around inside I got up and went to take my shower.

After my shower I went downstairs to get some breakfast.

I knew if he went hunting then Alice went with him so I was on my own for breakfast since dad was already gone to work.

Halfway through my bowl of cereal I heard the front door open.

Before I even had time to look up I felt the familiar little arms surround me in a hug.

"So you ready for today?" she asked as Edward came over and kissed me on the cheek.

"Ready for what?" I asked as I stood up and took my bowl and glass over to the sink.

"Ready to go get your apartment set up of course. I've been dying to go shopping for this ever since Edward signed the lease." She said.

I smiled at Edward who just nodded and rubbed his forehead.

"It's true. I have to stop her from going into almost every department store and furniture store without you. I keep telling her you have to be with her so she doesn't get something you don't want." he said.

I just smiled and laughed as I gave him a hug.

"OK, we'll go shopping for furniture and linens today." I say.

Alice lit up and started clapping.

"Yay! Let's get going now so we can get all the shopping done today." She said as she grabbed my coat and purse off of the coat rack.

"Hang on Alice I need to get my shoes on first." I said as I headed upstairs.

I sat down on my bed to get my shoes on.

After a few minutes I realized that my stomach was too big for me to put my shoes on by myself anymore.

Just as I was about to call out for some help I heard a knock on the door.

Edward came through the door.

"Hey Alice sent me up to see what was taking so long."

"I can't get my shoes on." I said as I gave him a sad face and held up one of my shoes.

He smiled, came over and took the shoe out of my hand and kissed my forehead.

He then kneeled down and put my shoes on for me and tied them.

As he stood up I noticed he was laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Nothing. I was just thinking how much helping you with your shoes reminded me of Cinderella and her Prince Charming." he said as he helped me stand up.

"Yeah but Cinderella wasn't the size of a blimp when her Prince Charming slipped on the glass slipper." I said as I grabbed one of my light coats out of the closet.

He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my stomach.

"How many times do I have to tell you, you've never looked more beautiful then you do now." he whispered in my ear.

"Until I finally believe you." I said before breaking out of his embrace and storming out the door.

I practically ran down the stairs and yanked my purse off of the rack.

Alice came out of the living room.

"Hey is everything alright?" she asked.

"Peachy. Are we going or not." I said as I opened the door.

As soon as the cool air hit my face I regained my composure and started crying.

I ran back into the house and embraced Edward as he came down the stairs.

"Edward I'm so sorry can you please forgive me?" I sobbed.

I heard Alice laugh and say "Hormones."

After that I felt Edward embrace me and kiss my head.

"Of course I forgive you Bella, I love you." he said.

Then just as quickly as I had started crying I stopped.

Suddenly I was excited to go shopping.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go shopping." I said taking Edward's and practically pulling him out the door.

He just smiled and laughed as we walked to the car.

After a few hours we had picked out all the furniture and arranged for it to be delivered that evening.

After that we went to the store to get the towels and our bathroom and kitchen supplies we would need.

After all the shopping was done we all went to the apartment to get the supplies organized before the furniture would get delivered.

While they set up the furniture I noticed that the door to Renessme's room was never opened.

After Edward signed the receipt for the furniture I got up off of the couch and walked over to hug him.

"So what do you think?" he asked.

"It's perfect." I replied.

"But Edward, what about the furniture for Renessme's room?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I noticed while the men were unloading the furniture no one put anything in Renessme's room but I know we ordered her crib and an armoire for her clothes at least."

"Oh yeah, I canceled that order before we left the store." he said calmly.

"But why would you do that? We need those things!" I said getting upset.

"Bella calm down and come with me." he said as he took my hand and led me down the hall.

When he opened the door I was taken aback.

It was beautiful. The walls had been painted a bright pink, there were more stuffed animals than I could count, a rocking chair, a crib and armoire and the armoire was stuffed with clothes and blankets.

I could feel a tear slip down my cheek as I heard him say "Alice insisted that she design this room herself. If it's too much let me know and I'll-"

But I cut him off by kissing him.

"It's perfect. Absolutely perfect." I said as I hugged him.

"It's getting late, we should get you home." he said as we walked out of the baby room.

"Actually can we stay here tonight? With everything here it feels like our home and I want to spend the night here, in our home." I asked.

He smiled and kissed my forehead.

"Absolutely, let me just call Charlie and Carlisle and let them know." he said as he pulled out his phone.

"Actually I'll let Charlie know. I need to go get my pajamas from the house anyway so I'll just run over there, tell him and then come back." I told him as I grabbed my purse.

"Ok, you do that and I'll make you some dinner." he said before kissing me and letting me head out the door.

I pulled into the driveway but didn't see Charlie's cruiser. I pulled out my phone and dialed his cell phone as I opened the door.

After 2 rings he picked up.

"Hey Bella is everything OK?" he asked.

"I was just about to ask you that actually dad. Why aren't you home yet?" I asked.

"Oh, we're working on an missing person's investigation that came in an hour ago. Someone was hiking and hasn't come home yet so we're going out to do a search first thing tomorrow morning. That's what we're working on right now actually. We're looking at the map to plan where to start the search. So is everything OK at home?" he explained.

"Yeah everything's OK. I'm just calling to let you know that Edward and I got all the furniture moved into the apartment and we're going to spend the night there." I said bracing myself for his anger.

"OK that's fine. Just tell Edward to keep it in his pants." he said laughing.

"Are you OK dad?" I asked confused. "I expected you to be upset."

"Bella, you're almost 18, graduating this year, engaged, and having a baby. I think you're old enough and mature enough to make your own decisions." he said.

"Wow uh, thank you dad. I guess I'll see you in the morning." I said.

"OK Bella, love you girls."

"We love you too dad. Good night." I said as I hung up the phone and went upstairs to grab my clothes.

After I put my clothes and prenatal vitamins in my backpack, along with my books for school the next day, I locked the door and got back in my truck.

As I walked into the apartment I could smell something Mexican being cooked in the kitchen.

I put my backpack on the couch and walked in to see what Edward was cooking.

I walked in just as he put the plate on the table.

"I made you some enchiladas." he said as he kissed me before I sat down.

He washed the dishes as I ate dinner.

After I was done eating I let you a huge yawn.

"I think we need to get you to bed." Edward said as I stood up.

"Yeah." I said while letting out another yawn.

"Go change and I'll wash your dinner dishes." he told me.

I was crawling into bed when he walked in.

"Ready for bed?" he asked.

I just nodded as he turned off the light and crawled into bed behind me.

I felt him wrap his arm around me and rest it on my stomach.

I interlocked my fingers with his as he rubbed my stomach.

"Goodnight my ladies. I love you both." he said before he leaned over to kiss my belly and then kissed me.

"We love you too." I whispered fighting the last of my exhaustion.

"Sleep my love. You both need the rest." he said.

I nodded and closed my eyes and drifted into my deep sleep.

**So what do you think? Before I get comments from people mad that I didn't stay true to the book I KNOW that this is not what really happens to Victoria but I wanted to remove her from being a threat to make my story flow better. So let me know if you love it or hate it. Please PUSH THE BUTTON PEOPLES! LOVE YOU ALL AND KEEP READING! ;)**


	18. Chapter 18: Convincing and Planning

**AN: Thank you to all my reviewers. I wasn't too sure of my last chapter when I posted it but all your kind words made me feel good about it. Hope you all like this one as much as the last one!**

BELLA'S POV:

Edward, Alice and I sat in Charlie's living room. Edward and Alice were playing a game of chess while I worked on the homework that I was behind on. I had been sick for a few days so I had alot to make up. Edward and Alice had offered to help but I insisted that since they had been through high school more then 10 times now it would be like cheating to me and I wanted to do it on my own.

As I finished my last math problem I saw Alice drop her king. I then realized that not another piece had been moved. I looked at Edward confused.

He just smiled and said "When I can read her thoughts and she can see my future moves it makes the game ALL mental."

He then gave her a kind of smug grin as she stood up and said "I'm going to go fix dinner."

I just laughed at them both as I sat back into Edward's embrace.

"You know, I when I was helping you pack up stuff from your room I noticed these." Edward said as he pulled something out of one of his textbooks.

He handed me to rectangular pieces of paper. I looked at them and realized they were the plane tickets to Florida that Carlisle and Esme had given me at my last birthday.

"You know, I realize you didn't get much good out of your birthday presents last year, but did you realize these are about to expire?" he asked me as I looked at them remembering that momentous night.

The night that Jasper had accidentally attacked me. The night that I had needed Edward's comfort in so many ways. The night that had changed my entire life.

I took a deep breath and answered in a flat voice. "No, I'd forgotten all about them actually.

His expression was carefully bright and positive. "You know, we still have time, before the baby's born. I talked to Carlisle and he said if we go this weekend you will make it back before you're deadline of not being able to travel anymore. I think you're mom would really like to see you before the baby's born."

I knew he was right. And I really wanted to see Renee, Phil, and Joshua before we welcomed Renesmee into this world. But there was one problem.

"I don't know how Charlie will react to you and me leaving the state." I finally said.

"Well, Charlie can't keep you from seeing your mother. And I think he'd be more comfortable with me going with you then you going by yourself." He said as he rubbed my pretty swollen belly.

"We'll talk to him about it later." I said as I picked up my books and put them in my bag.

Thankfully he had dropped it at that point.

I walked in and helped Alice cook dinner as Edward watched us.

We had just finished putting it together when Charlie walked in the door.

"Something smells good." he said as he took off his gun and hung up his coat.

"It's just grilled cheese and tomato soup." I say as I put the sandwiches on the table.

Dinner went rather smoothly. Charlie talked about work and we told him how school was going.

Suddenly Edward gave me this look. It was almost like he was asking for forgiveness before he even said anything.

Then he cleared his throat.

"Charlie." he said getting Charlie's attention.

"Yeah?" Charlie replied while taking another spoonful of soup.

"Did Bella ever tell you that my parents gave her air tickets on her last visit so she could go see Renee?" he asked.

Charlie swallowed loudly, and then his eyes narrowed as he looked at Edward.

"No, she never mentioned it." he said.

"Well, they're about to expire and I thought Bella would like to go see Renee before Renesmee is born. But if she wants to go, we have to do it this weekend."

Charlie sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Oh really, and why's that?" he asked.

"Well, if Bella waits another week she won't be able to see Renee til after Renesmee is born. She'll be past the deadline for her not being able to travel before delivery." he explained.

Charlie sat there listening before replying.

"You said 'they'?"

Edward nodded. "Yes sir."

"How many are there?" he asked.

"Two. One for her, and one for me."

"Absolutely not!" he shouted at us.

I interjected at this point.

"Dad come on, what are you so worried about?" I asked.

"I mean, it's not like I'm gonna come back pregnant." I said as a joke.

All that earned me was a glare from both him AND Edward.

"Mr. Swan, I understand that you don't trust me with Bella that much. But I would feel safer if I were to go with her then anyone else. That way if anything goes wrong with her OR the baby while she's there I'm right there with her. And since the ticket's are in mine and her name's it's not like anyone else can go with her." Edward explained.

I could tell from the look Charlie gave him, Edward was winning.

"When would you be back?" he asked.

"Sunday night. With finals coming up we can't afford to lose anytime in school." Edward said as he took a drink of his water.

Charlie let out a huge sigh and looked at me then Edward.

"If you don't have her back by Monday morning I will call the Florida sheriff to begin a search party." he said, obviously admitting defeat.

"Thank you Mr. Swan." Edward said as he stood up and started helping Alice clean up.

I reached over and hugged him.

"Thank you dad, I really appreciate this." I said.

"So what now?" I asked after Edward, Alice and I had finished cleaning up dinner.

"Well, you and I need to go over wedding details." Alice said as she started pulling me upstairs.

"Do I get a say?" Edward asked suddenly.

"Bella, Edward, before you go upstairs I need to talk to you." We heard Charlie call from the living room.

"I'll go get started." Alice said as she let go of my hand.

I took Edward's hand as we walked into the living room.

"What's up dad?" I asked.

"Sit down a sec." he said.

We sat on the couch as he turned off the TV.

"I just wanted to set up some rules for you two while you're in Florida." he said sitting forward.

"Dad-" I tried to say something.

"Bella, I'm your parent. I need to do this and you know it." he said with a serious look on his face.

I just sat back at that and let him go.

"First of all, you two WILL be sleeping in different rooms while down there. Second, if ANYTHING comes up with you or the baby, you will call me immediately." He looked at Edward when he said this.

Edward simply nodded to say he understood.

"And third, Edward, you are to keep them both as safe as you possibly can. I am trusting you with my daughter and my granddaughter's lives this weekend. If you fail me with either of them, you will never be welcomed by me again. Do you understand?" he finished giving Edward a very serious look.

"I understand Mr. Swan and I will respect each one of your rules the whole time we are gone." he replied.

With that Charlie nodded, sat back, and turned the game back on, clearly signaling we could leave now.

We headed upstairs to find Alice had some magazines sprawled all over my bed.

"OK, Bella let's get started." Alice said.

"Actually Alice, since we're leaving tomorrow after school I need to spend this evening packing." I said as I tried to find my suitcase in the bottom of my almost empty closet.

Suddenly Edward came over and grabbed it off of the top shelf and handed it to me with an almost sympathetic smile on his face.

"Well, Bella, we need to start planning your wedding soon. I mean you haven't even set a date yet!" Alice wined.

"Actually I've been thinking about it and what do you think about August 13th?" I asked turning to Edward.

"August 13th? Don't you think that's cutting it really close?" he asked.

"Well, yeah, but I know Alice can totally pull this off in time. And I don't want to be another year older than you." I said looking at Alice with a smile.

She lit up like a Christmas tree. She then jumped up and gave me a huge hug.

"Oh, Bella, I promise I'll make it a day you'll never forget!" She said with a huge smile.

Edward just smiled at her and then hugged me.

"Well, if that's what you want, I trust Alice to get it all done in time." He said.

Alice then spent the rest of the evening helping me pack while Edward went home to pack his bag as well.

When we were done Alice took my bag downstairs and put it by the door.

I had insisted I could carry it by myself but according to her: "I wasn't going to put the safety of my niece at risk by letting you carry something that may be too heavy."

Edward then came by about 20 minutes later with his bag and left it by the door. Since we were leaving right after school and he was picking me up FOR school it only made sense.

After we had watched the game with Charlie Edward and Alice had to leave for the evening.

I walked with them out onto the porch.

"So are you coming back tonight?" I asked him.

"No, I need to hunt for the weekend. I don't want to have some sort of accident while visiting your mom." he said taking me into a hug.

"OK, so I'll see you in the morning then." I said feeling Renesmee kick really hard.

I smiled and looked down at my swollen belly.

"Excuse me, WE'LL see you in the morning." I said while Edward placed his hand on my stomach.

We both laughed before sharing a very intimate kiss.

"I promise I'll be here in time to pick you up from school." he said.

Suddenly I felt another kick.

"I'm sorry, I'll be here in time to pick you TWO up from school." he said before leaning down and kissing my stomach.

"I love you." he said before giving me one more kiss.

"I love you too. Be safe and I'll see you tomorrow." I say embracing him.

With that he walked down, got in his car where Alice was waiting, and drove away.

I went back in to find Charlie looking in the fridge for a snack.

I walked in to the kitchen and grabbed an apple off of the counter.

"So are you going to have Alice come over to cook this weekend?" I asked taking a bite of the apple.

"No, I think I'll give her the weekend off and go to the diner." he said with a smile.

We both knew Alice didn't have to come cook every night, she just enjoyed it.

"OK dad, I'm going to bed. Good night." I said as he walked back into the living room with a bag of chips and a beer.

"Good night darling." he said as I walked upstairs.

I crawled into bed and plugged in my phone to charge.

I had just about fallen asleep when I got a text.

'I miss you already. I love you two. Sleep well and I'll see you in the morning.'

So I texted him back.

'We miss you too. We love you too. I will and I know. :)'

With that I closed my phone, scooted down in my bed, grabbed my body pillow, and closed my eyes for another wonderful night of dreams about Edward and Renesmee.

**SOOOOOOO...What do you thinnnk? Push that button and lemme know. I'm pretty sure I'll have my next one up sometime this next month. Love you all!**


	19. Chapter 19: Visiting Mom

**AN: Sorry to all my fans that I took so long to write this and post it. But my month has been super busy and every time I got a spare minute I didn't feel the creative juices flowing but that's finally changed! I really hope you enjoy this!**

BELLA'S POV:

I woke when I felt Edward move. I rubbed my eyes and looked around as Edward reached forward to grab his carryon bag.

"Are we there?" I asked as I rubbed my stomach feeling little Renesmee start to move.

"Yeah, we just landed." he said as he put his book in the bag.

"What time is it?" I asked as I reached down for my bag.

"10:00 at night." he said.

He had insisted we take a later flight so we got to Florida when it was dark. With it sunny almost year round we couldn't risk him sparkling and freaking people out.

We got off the plane and grabbed our baggage before Edward went over to rent a car.

After we got the car I called my mom.

After 3 rings I heard a very groggy Phil answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey Phil, it's Bella, I was just calling to let you guys know that Edward and I have landed and we're heading to the house as soon as we get the luggage in the car." I said as Edward put the bags in the car.

"Ok, well, I hear Josh crying and if I'm right he's hungry so I'll tell Renee and she'll turn the light on for you and unlock the door." he said.

Suddenly I heard mom in the background.

"Or you can get out of bed and do that while I feed Josh."

I heard Phil sigh before saying "Yes dear, whatever you say."

I tried not to laugh as I heard the sheets ruffle as he got up.

"OK, I'll be looking for you guys. Do you know how to get here?" he asked.

"The car has a GPS system. All we need is the address." I explained as we got into the car.

Once we got the address and Edward placed it into the GPS I hung up with Phil and we were on the way.

Due to the fact that we got there so late my mom just gave us quick hugs and kisses before heading back to bed.

Phil showed us to the guest room before he too headed to bed.

The next morning I woke up and rolled over to find the bed empty.

I almost got concerned when I heard Edward laughing with Renee.

I got up and went into the kitchen.

I saw Renee's face light up when she saw me.

"Bella sweetie! I am so glad you guys made it here ok." she said as she hugged me.

"So am I mom. Oh, by the way, I don't know if you know this but dad gave us a couple of rules before we came down here. And one of them was Edward and I sleep in different rooms." I said as he brought me over a plate of food and some milk.

"I know, your dad called a few minutes after you called to let me know you were on the plane. But I explained to him that I only had one guest room and I was not making Edward sleep on the couch so he was going to have to live with it." She said before kissing Phil who had just come into the room.

"And how did he take that?" I asked.

"Not too well, but he had to go with it." she said as she grabbed Phil a plate of food.

I had to laugh at that.

After breakfast I saw mom get up and go upstairs.

While she was upstairs we went ahead and got the kitchen cleaned up and all the dishes washed up.

When she came back down she had Joshua with her.

As soon as I saw him I wanted to hold him so bad.

Mom must have read my mind because she handed him to me right away.

"How old is he now?" Edward asked as he sat down behind me.

"6 months." Renee said as she sat down to eat.

Suddenly I felt myself start to tear up.

"Bella, sweetie, you ok?" Edward asked as he rubbed my back.

I just nodded as I wiped the tears away.

"Don't worry, they're happy tears." I said. "I just realized that in less than a month I'll be holding my own precious miracle."

As I said that Joshua looked right at me and smiled and laughed.

I held him close and kissed his head as I felt more tears slip down my cheeks.

After breakfast and after mom fed Joshua she asked me if I wanted to take a walk.

I knew exercise was important and since Edward couldn't take a walk with me due to the sun I agreed.

We drove to the beach to take our walk.

We ambled down the sidewalk, trying to stay in the range of the infrequent palm tree shadows. Though it was early, the heat was smothering. The air was so heavy with moisture that just breathing in and out was giving my lungs a workout.

"Bella?" my mom asked, looking out past the sand to the lightly crashing waves as she spoke.

"What is it mom?"

She sighed, not meeting my gaze. "I've noticed something about Edward."

"What?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant. There was no way she could have known his big secret, was there?

"There's something...strange about the way you two are together," she murmured, her forehead creasing over her troubled eyes. "The way he watches you - it's so... protective. Like he's ready to throw himself in front of a bullet to save you or something."

I laughed though I was still not able to meet her gaze. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No." She frowned as she struggled for the words. "It's just _different_. He's very intense about you...and very careful. I feel like I don't really understand your relationship. Like there's some secret I'm missing..."

"I think you're imagining things, Mom," I said quickly, struggling to keep my voice light. There was a flutter in my stomach. I'd forgotten how much my mother saw. Something about her simple view of the world cut through all the distractions and pierced right to the truth of things. This had never been a problem before. Until now, there had never been a secret I couldn't tell her.

"It's not just him." She set her lips defensively. "I wish you could see how you move around him."

"What do you mean?"

"The way you move - you orient yourself around him without even thinking about it. When he moves, even a little bit, you adjust your position at the same time. Like magnets . . . or gravity. You're like a . . . satellite, or something. I've never seen anything like it."

She pursed her lips and stared down.

"Don't tell me," I teased, forcing a smile. "You're reading mysteries again, aren't you? Or is it sci-fi this time?"

Renee flushed a delicate pink. "That's beside the point."

"Found anything good?"

"Well, there was one - but that doesn't matter. We're talking about you right now."

"You should stick to romance, Mom. You know how you freak yourself out."

Her lips turned up at the corners. "I'm being silly, aren't I?"

For half a second I couldn't answer. Renee was so easily swayed. Sometimes it was a good thing, because not all of her ideas were practical. But it pained me to see how quickly she caved in to my trivializing, especially since she was dead right this time.

She looked up, and I controlled my expression.

"Not silly - just being a mom."

She laughed and then gestured grandly toward the white sands stretching to the blue water.

"And all this isn't enough to get you to move back in with your silly mom?"

I wiped my hand dramatically across my forehead, and then pretended to wring my hair out.

"You get used to the humidity," she promised.

"You can get used to rain, too," I countered.

She elbowed me playfully and then took my hand as we walked back to her car.

Other than her worries about me, she seemed happy enough. Content. She still looked at Phil with goo-goo eyes, and I could tell that her's and Phil's entire world now revolved around Joshua, and that was comforting. Surely her life was full and satisfying. Surely she didn't miss me that much, even now. . . .

The rest of the weekend was really nice. Phil's high school team he was coaching was in the playoffs so he spent most of Saturday with them. Me and Edward kept Renee and Joshua happy. I think she enjoyed having a couple of extra hands to help out with Joshua.

But like all good things, it passed way too quickly and suddenly it was Sunday evening and Edward and Phil were putting the bags in the car. The sun was still up but Edward had put on a hoodie and was wearing a baseball cap. He had told Phil he was dressing warmly so he wouldn't have to change on the plane.

I kissed and hugged Joshua before putting him in his playpen. Due to the hormone rollercoaster I was riding, I was trying not to cry as I turned to Renee to say goodbye.

She hugged me and kissed my cheek.

"Be safe, call me when you land, and I want updates on you, the baby, and Edward as often as possible ok?" she said with tears forming in her own eyes.

"I will, I promise." I said as we walked out to the car.

I saw Edward and Phil talking before they shook hands and looked up.

"Well here come to two most beautiful women in the whole world." Phil said as we got closer.

"Hey Edward how'd we get so lucky?" he asked as he hugged Renee

Edward just hugged me, kissed my head, and said "I really don't know. I thank God for her every day."

"I know what you mean buddy." Phil said with a smile.

After more hugs and waves we backed out of the driveway and drove to the airport.

Edward's icy fingers brushed my cheek. I looked up, blinking, coming back to the present. He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"We're home, Sleeping Beauty. Time to awake."

I looked around feeling a little disoriented. I had obviously fallen asleep on the plane and we had just landed.

After getting the bags and finding the car we drove to my house.

It was the middle of the day so I knew Charlie would be at work which meant we had plenty of time to unpack and relax.

It was Monday but thanks to Edward talking to our teachers we had gotten all our work in advance and our homework was done and ready for turn in tomorrow.

After we got unpacked I jumped in the shower to wash the traveling feeling off of me.

After the shower I headed downstairs to hear Edward and Charlie talking in the kitchen.

I walked over and kissed Charlie on the cheek before looking in the cupboards.

"Oh you don't need to cook honey, I ordered pizza." Charlie said as he took a swig of his beer.

About then the doorbell rang. Charlie jumped up to grab it while I pulled out the plates.

Edward came over and grabbed the plates from me and set them on the plate.

"So what was Phil talking to you about before we left?" I asked.

He looked at me confused.

"I saw you two talking and then you shook hands."

He nodded realizing I had seen them.

"Just telling me how important you are to him and I had better treat you and Renesmee well and never break your hearts." he said as he grabbed some glasses.

I walked over and hugged him from behind.

"I don't think that will be a problem." I said.

Then Charlie walked in and we ate dinner.

Edward and I had just finished washing dishes when suddenly my phone rang.

I checked the caller id and nearly fainted. I couldn't believe it. Edward looked at me confused before I showed him the caller id.

His eyes narrowed and I could tell he was contemplating it. He nodded letting me know it was ok.

I flipped the phone open and said "Hello?"

The voice from the past finally spoke after a few seconds of silence.

"Bella?"

**OOOOOOHHHHHHHH Cliffy! So who do you all think it is? Push that button and lemme know!**


	20. Chapter 20: Apology

**AN: Hey all my faithful readers, subscribers and reviewers! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry I took so long to update. My computer is on the fritz and I am currently borrowing my sister's til mine gets fixed. But I really hope that this chapter was worth your wait so please, read, enjoy, and REVIEW!**

**AN2: I know I didn't write it in before, but Bella already knows about Jake being a werewolf and imprinting and all the details of werewolf life. It's an essential part of this chapter and I didn't want all of you getting mad that I didn't write in that particular before this.**

**OK, enough ranting. ON WITH THE CHAPTER!**

"Bella?"

"Jacob?" I replied.

I couldn't believe he had actually called me. I had left him thousands of voicemails and texts and suddenly he was calling me?

"I really need to talk to you and Edward, can I come over?" he asked.

I wasn't sure where this was going, but I had a feeling I should let him come over. But first I needed to make sure it was ok with Edward too.

I put my hand over the mouthpiece of the phone and turned to Edward.

"He wants to know if he can come over." I told him.

He sighed, furrowed his brow as he thought, sighed heavily, and finally nodded.

"Yeah you can come over for a bit. But we have school tomorrow so you can't stay too late." I told Jacob.

"Ok, and I know you have school tomorrow, so do I. I have to be back home by 11 anyway cause of curfew." he said as I heard his car keys jingle over the phone.

"Ok, we'll see you soon then." I said before hanging up.

"Who was that Bella?" I heard Charlie ask.

"Jacob, he's coming over to talk to me and Edward." I said as Edward and I walked into the living room.

Charlie looked at me with concern on his face.

"I was going to go over to Harry's to watch the game but, do you want me to stay here?" he asked, glancing at Edward.

"No dad, they will behave. And if they don't I'll call Alice and she'll come help me kick them out." I said smiling.

I looked at Edward and he just smiled back at me.

"Ok, well call me if you need me." Charlie said as he grabbed his car keys.

"Will do dad, have fun." I said as he headed out.

About 15 minutes later I heard the doorbell ring.

I got up and opened the door.

Jacob turned to face me and hung up his phone. He obviously just hung up with someone who made him smile cause I saw the 1000 watt smile fall slightly off of his face.

He looked worried, or scared I couldn't tell which, as he asked "Hey, can I come in?"

"Yeah come in." I said as he walked past me.

I shut the door and lead him into the living room.

I sat down next to Edward as Jacob sat in Charlie's chair.

"So what did you want to talk about Jacob?" I asked as I muted the tv.

"I actually wanted to apologize." Jacob said.

I looked at him shocked, I was not expecting to hear that.

"What?" I asked.

"I wanted to apologize. I realize now that I was being childish and immature before. I mean, Bella, if you love Edward and you're willing to give him a second chance then I, as your friend, should support you and be there for you. And Edward if you love Bella and this baby and want the best for them, like I do, then I would be completely stupid and selfish to push you out of the way. I hope you both can accept my apology and forgiveness. Just as I have accepted Edward's apology from last time I was here." he finally finished.

After a few minutes of thinking about it I looked at Edward.

He just nodded, signaling me to go first.

"Jacob, you are still my best friend, and yes, I can accept your apology. But it's gonna take some time if you want me to forgive everything you've done." I said with as much sincerety as I could muster.

Jacob then nodded and said "I can understand that, and I'm willing to wait and work towards your forgiveness."

He then looked at Edward.

Edward sighed and looked at Jacob.

"Jacob, as you said, we both want what's best for Bella and our baby. So, as Bella said, I too accept your apology but it will take some time for you to earn my forgiveness."

Jacob just smiled and said, "Well, as you know Edward, we both have plenty of time to wait for that day to come."

Edward just smiled and chuckled at Jacob's joke.

Having a vampire boyfriend and werewolf best friend, you get kind of weird jokes.

Suddenly a thought hit me.

"So Jacob, what caused this sudden change of heart?" I asked curious.

"Well, I was venting how I was feeling to Leah Clearwater and afterwards she chewed me out and told me I was being stupid and immature and I should come apologize. After she yelled at me I realized she was right so I called to see if I could come over." he explained.

This still didn't make sense to me. The last time I was on the reservation, and we had run into Leah, Jacob had described her as bossy and pushy. He had also said he didn't know a man alive who could spend 5 minutes with her.

"Since when do you listen to Leah Clearwater?" I asked.

Suddenly Jacob lowered his head, scratched the back of his head, chuckled and smiled before saying, "Since I kissed her at the bonfire a few weeks ago."

I felt a look of shock fall over my face and tried not to laugh as I asked "Wait...what?"

He then took a deep breath and sat forward.

"It was at our last bonfire. I had been sulking in the house and my friends practically had to drag me out of the house to get me to go. Me and Leah had ended up sitting next to each other and I guess Leah saw that I was upset. She asked me what was up and I just looked at her and said, 'broken heart.' She looked at me sadly and asked if I wanted to talk about it. I knew she knew where I was coming from because of Sam and Emily and how Sam broke _her_ heart. So we ended up walking along the coast talking about it. After I had vented, and practically screamed out over the lake, Leah told me I was an immature baby that needed to apologize. I got mad at her and said that you two were the ones that needed to apologize. Next thing I knew we were yelling at each other and fighting with each other. I don't know if it was the way the moonlight hit her face or what but suddenly I felt a need to kiss her. So I did. And the weird thing was that she didn't fight it at all. In fact, she returned the kiss. Afterwards she asked me why I kissed her. I thought about it and told her I honestly didn't know. I had just felt compelled to kiss her. We then walked back to the fire and Sam noticed that we were walking hand in hand. When Leah went to go talk to her brother Seth, Sam came over and asked me what had happened. I told Sam that me and Leah had been arguing and I had suddenly felt compelled to kiss her, so I did. All of the sudden Sam started laughing. I asked him what was so funny. All Sam said was 'Looks like someone imprinted.' I admit I was a bit confused because I thought werewolves couldn't imprint on each other. But Sam explained that it was rare but not unheard of. So, Leah and I imprinted on each other and now we've started dating. And she kept pushing me to come over here and apologize but I kept refusing. But the other day I was talking to my dad about it and I realized that she was right, you guys had apologized already so now it was my turn. That's when I called you tonight to see if I could come over." he said, sitting back and taking another deep breath from his very long story and explanation.

Suddenly I heard Edward chuckle and felt him rub my arm as he said "It's amazing what love can make you do huh Jacob?"

Jacob just smiled and nodded.

Suddenly I realized something.

"Is that who you were talking to when I opened the door?" I asked.

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I had called her when I left my dad's to let her know I was coming over here. But I got her voicemail so she had called me back just as I got out of the car and I told her I'd come over when I was done here."

I saw him look up at the clock.

"It's 10 o'clock. I have to go." he said as he stood up.

We all stood up at the same time.

Jacob shook Edward's hand and smiled at both of us before walking to the door.

"Jake, wait." I said as I walked to him standing at the door.

He stopped and turned as I hugged him.

At first I didn't know if he'd return the hug, but then I felt his arms wrap around me and his head rest on mine.

We stayed like that for a couple of minutes before I heard him say "I missed you too Bella."

He then pulled away and we smiled at each other.

Suddenly his phone rang.

He took it out, smiled even bigger and said "I gotta go."

As he opened the door and started to close it behind him I heard him say "Hey beautiful, I was just about to call you."

I then walked back into the living room to see Edward turning off the TV and the lights. He looked at me standing in the doorway, smiled and walked over to embrace me.

"Feel better?" he asked.

I just nodded into his chest as he kissed the top of my head.

We then headed upstairs.

Edward went to go take his shower finally as I went into the bedroom to change into my pajamas. After I changed I laid in bed and picked up my "What to Expect When Expecting" book to read the next chapter.

Just as I finished it Edward came back in. I put the book down while Edward crawled under the covers with me.

After that he started rubbing my stomach and I felt myself falling asleep while he did that and enjoying the fact that my best friend was now happy and back in my life.

**SOOOOOOOO? What do ya think? Push that button that makes me happy and lemme know! And I promise I will update again before the new year!**


	21. Chapter 21: A Day Full of Surprises

**AN: Thank you to all my reviewers for the words of enouragement and praise on my last chapter. Now that Jacob has stopped being a jerk I PROMISE I will write him in more. But this chapter has a much bigger plot than Jacob. Wanna know what? READ AND ENJOY!**

BELLA'S POV:

This was one morning I was glad was over.

Alice had woken me up at the crack of dawn insisting we needed to go over all the plans for the wedding. So that's what we had been doing all morning. While most of the details were going to be left to Alice she wanted my opinion on how the dress, both mine and all the bridesmaids, should look, what colors I liked the best, and what we wanted the guys tuxedos to look like.

I sighed a deep breath of relief as Alice closed her very big notebook and we both sat back in our chairs.

"So that's everything?" I asked rubbing my swollen belly.

"Except for your final measurements for the dress, yes. But, as you know, we can't get those til little Renessme makes an appearance." She replied smiling at my belly.

Alice then stood up and grabbed 2 glasses and headed to the faucet.

"So what else do you have planned for today?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Nothing really, Edward is going to take me to lunch and I think after that we may go to the meadow or something, we haven't really discussed it. Why?" I asked curious.

"No reason, just asking." she said sitting down with our glasses.

I knew Alice, she wasn't just asking.

But I shrugged it off for now. It was the week after finals, only a little over a week til the baby's due date. Except for the extra weight that Renessme was causing this was an easy week.

After we sat and talked for a bit Edward came in.

I turned around to see his clothes were dirty and somewhat torn.

"Edward what happened?" I asked concerned.

He looked at me confused before looking down and realizing how he looked.

"Oh, I just got back from an all night hunt. I realized I was late and rushed over here. I must have forgotten to change this morning." he said embarrassed.

"It's ok." I said, "There's fresh linens in the bathroom and I think you have a clean change of clothes up in my room. I just did laundry yesterday and folded the clothes you have here."

He walked over to me, kissed my forehead and looked at me. "What would I ever do without you?" he asked.

"I don't want to find out." I said as I hugged him.

As I smelled the dry blood and dirt on his shirt my gag reflex started to act up.

"OK Edward, I love you, but please go take a shower." I pleaded holding my nose and gently pushing him away.

He chuckled, put his hands up in defense and walked to the stairs.

About half an hour later he came down freshly clean and dressed.

We then headed to the diner for lunch.

Edward just drank coffee while I ate.

About halfway through lunch Edward sat back and looked like he wanted to ask me a question.

I sat back and asked him "Something on your mind?"

"I was just wondering, we have a nice apartment right?" he asked.

"Yes we do." I replied not sure where he was going with this.

"Well, no offense, but since we do have the apartment and you yourself have stated it's our new home, why are we spending more time at school or with Charlie then we do there?" he asked.

"Honestly Edward, it's because I know that when you change me I won't be able to be around Charlie for a long time, so the more time I spend with him now, the easier it may be for both him and me later." I say.

Ok, I understand. I was just wondering." he said taking my hand.

"I do have another question too." he said.

"Go ahead." I invited.

"Why did you chose August 13th for our wedding date?" he asked.

"Well, I actually have 2 reasons. One being I will NOT be another year older than you." I replied with a smile.

He just chuckled and smiled at me.

"Ok, and reason number two?" he asked.

I smiled slightly, looked down, and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear before responding.

"The other reason is...I talked to my gynecologist, and she said I won't be able to be...intimate until 6 weeks after Renessme is born. And since she will be born sometime between now and July my body will be ready for intimacy just before the honeymoon." I replied.

Edward just nodded and grinned seductivley before kissing my hand.

"Besides," I continued, "we have to give Renesseme a little brother or sister."

Edward just smiled, but it was a sad smile.

"What's wrong?" I asked concerned.

"I actually don't think that would be possible Bella. I talked to Carlisle about the possibility of another child and he said Renessme herself is a rarity in vampires. The possibilities of two children from the same two people would be pretty much a one in ten million chance." he said stroking my hand.

I just nodded sadly. I was so looking forward to having another child. A boy possibly, but now, that would never be.

Edward asked me, "Are you ok?"

"I don't know," I replied, "as much as I hate the idea of another 9 months of carrying around a bowling ball, I really wanted the chance of having a girl, AND a boy."

Edward leaned over and kissed my cheek before whispering "You know, there's always adoption."

At this, I smiled.

After that Edward and I sat back and relaxed as I finished my lunch.

After lunch Edward's phone rang.

"Hello? Hey Alice. Oh really, ok we'll be there in a few. See ya then. Bye." he said before hanging up.

"What's up?" I asked as we walked out.

"Alice told me she found one last box of my stuff at the house and we need to go get it." he said as he opened my car door for me.

"Ok." I said as he got in the other side and started the car.

When we pulled up it looked like no one was home.

Still Edward stopped the car and came over to open my door.

We walked up the stairs and into the house.

We got into the living room and suddenly the lights came on and I heard alot of people scream "SURPRISE!"

I looked around and realized it was a surprise baby shower.

I looked at Edward and he just smiled at me.

"You lied to me," I joked.

He put his hands up in surrender and said "No, I really do have a box of stuff here, but Alice planned how to get you here."

I smiled, knowing I can't get mad at him.

I barely had time to hug him before Alice pulled me into the room and he went upstairs to his room to grab the box.

After the games were played I realized I hadn't seen Edward come back down.

I excused myself to see if he was ok.

I headed upstairs but saw him talking to Carlisle in his office. At that, I walked back dowstairs and left them alone.

After the gifts were open I had a bad urge to go to the bathroom.

I got in there and suddenly peed myself.

Embarrassed I reopened the door and called to Alice.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Can you have Edward run to the apartment and get me another pair of maternity pants? I just peed myself." I said embarrassment evident on my face.

Suddenly I noticed Jasper walking by. He stopped in front of me suddenly. He then put his hand on my belly and I saw his eyes get big.

"Edward!" he yelled up the stairs.

At this point I was getting scared.

"Jasper, what's going on?" I asked.

Edward came down a minute later, looked at Jasper's face and then HIS eyes got big.

"Now?" Edward asked.

"Now!" Jasper replied.

At this point I was getting mad that no one was telling me what was going on.

"Jasper, Edward, what is-" I was cut off by a sharp pain like a menstrual cramp.

Suddenly I realized what was going on.

I was going into labor!

Edward had grabbed my coat and before I could really wrap my head around it we were headed out to the car.

About then my thoughts started collecting.

"Edward wait, what about my bag, the carseat, is everything ready at the apartment-?" I asked frantically.

"Don't worry love, the carseat is in the car, your bag is in the trunk, and Alice will make sure the apartment is ready for the baby before we go home." he said as he strapped me into the car and took my hand.

While another contraction hit I heard Edward on the phone.

"Yes, this is Edward Cullen, I am calling for my fiance Bella Swan. She has just gone into labor and we are on the way to the hospital now. Her doctor's name is Dr. Bennett. Yes, thank you. Goodbye." he said hanging up.

"Don't worry, your doctor is going to meet us there, just do the breathing we learned at the class." he said taking my hand.

As the contraction subsided a thought suddenly occured to me.

This was it.

Edward and I were taking that final step.

Today, Renessme will be born.

Today, we were going to become parents.

**SOOOOOOOO? What do you think? And I know I originally said she was going to have Renesseme in July but I realized that July would be 10 months, not 9 so she's having her now, in June so no flames on that please. Now please push that button and lemme know what ya think!**


	22. Chapter 22: Welcome to the World

**Hey to all my readers! First of all I'm sorry I've taken so long to update but I am in a major writer's block. I knew what I wanted to do for this chapter but had no idea how to make it longer, so I apologize, but this chapter is gonna be shorter than most of my previous ones. But I still hope you'll read, enjoy, and review! On to the chapter!**

BELLA'S POV:

"Come on Bella, you can do it, just one more push!" I heard Edward whisper in my ear.

I had been pushing for the last 10 minutes and almost all my energy was spent.

"Edward", I whispered, "I don't think I can do it." I finished saying as I collapsed back onto the bed.

Suddenly Edward grabbed my face and looked me eye to eye, barely an inch apart.

"Bella, you are the strongest, most wonderful woman I know. And I KNOW you can do this, you can bring our baby girl into this world. All it takes is just a few more pushes. Then this will all be over, I promise." he said before kissing my forehead.

Hearing that gave me the energy boost I desperately needed.

I nodded, took a few deep breaths, and got ready for the next contraction.

When Dr. Bennett told me to push I wasted no time.

With Edward counting next to me it seemed alot easier.

Finally I heard Dr. Bennett say "Ok Bella, time for one last push and then you're baby will be here."

I nodded as I felt Edward kiss my temple.

"One more push baby, that's all you need to do." he whispered in my ear.

"Are you ready Bella?" Dr. Bennett asked.

I looked at Edward, knowing how much he loved me and this baby, and how much we were ready for this, together.

I then nodded at Dr. Bennett and took a deep breath.

I pushed with all I had left in me.

Suddenly Dr. Bennett told me to stop.

I fell back on the bed, exhausted when suddenly I felt some weight on the OUTSIDE of my stomach.

I looked down and saw the most beautiful and wonderful being in the entire world.

Our daughter.

I immediately started rubbing her, just needing to feel hew, to know this was real, that I wasn't dreaming.

Edward cut the umbilical cord so the nurse could pick up Renessme and take her over to have her checked out.

Meanwhile Dr. Bennett was examining the amniotic sac to make sure it was fully intact.

After Dr. Bennett checked me out and the nurses had made sure Renessme was ok the nurse finally walked over and handed me my perfect angel.

Holding her, I felt like I was holding the world.

She was so beautiful, even more beautiful than her father.

I suddenly felt Edward kiss my head. I honestly had forgotten Edward was even there. I was so wrapped up in Renesseme.

I looked up at him and smiled.

"You want to hold her?" I asked.

He nodded slightly.

I gently handed her to him.

Watching him hold her, I knew I had made the right choice in telling him. I could have never robbed him of this moment, the moment that every parent has when they first bond with their child.

When they first look their child in the eyes, first count the little fingers and toes, first REALIZE that this child is THEIR child, that no one can take this life, this moment, from them EVER.

I watched as he gently kissed her tiny forehead.

Watching the two of them together I realized something:

I didn't know what my future held, but as long as it held the two most important people in my life, my future was bright.

**Well, there it is, like I said, it's super short, but I had to get this out of my block so I can write the next chapter. I hopefully will have THAT up by sometime in the next 2 to 3 weeks. But LEMME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK of THIS chapter? Did you like it, love it, or hate it? Do you think too much or not enough detail? ANYTHING is MUCH appreciated. So PUSH THAT BUTTON PEOPLE! Love you all **


	23. Chapter 23: Bringing Baby Home

**OK So I asked everyone for ideas on this next chapter and only got one response. While I appreciated the idea it didn't really help with my block. However I had written THIS chapter about 2 months ago but didn't really want to finish it cuz I'm afraid it's gonna suck but since I didn't get any more ideas I guess I'll post it and see what you all think.**

2 weeks later.

BELLA'S POV

I woke up to the sound of my newborn baby crying. I rolled over and saw it was 2:17 in the morning.

Knowing it must be a problem Edward couldn't fix I slowly pulled back the covers and dragged myself out of bed.

I walked in to see Edward holding Nessie and rocking her. I could also hear him whispering "Sshh, it's ok, you're gonna wake mommy."

"Too late." I replied walking into the bedroom.

He looked up with an apologetic smile.

"Is she hungry?" I asked as Edward stood up.

He nodded as I sat down in the rocking chair.

"I'll change her while you wake up a little." he said as he walked over to the changing table.

While he did that I rubbed my face and shook my head to try and wake myself up enough to feed her.

After he changed her diaper Edward handed Nessie to me so I could feed her.

About half an hour later I realized Nessie's breathing was completely even and her eyes were closed.

She was asleep.

I gently detached her from my nipple before handing her to Edward.

He took her while I went to the bathroom.

While in the bathroom I heard her start to fuss again. I quickly washed my hands and hurried into the bedroom thinking she was still hungry.

As I stood in the doorway I realized she wasn't crying anymore.

I looked and saw Edward sitting with Nessie in the rocking chair. I then heard him lightly humming a tune.

I smiled as I realized it was the same tune he used to hum to me when he would sneak into my bedroom at my dad's house and sing me to sleep.

I decided to just leave them to their daddy/daughter moment and went in to go back to bed.

About an hour later I woke to the feel of someone getting into bed with me.

"Did she fall asleep?" I asked as I rolled over and cuddled into Edward's chest.

I barely heard him say "yes" before I succumed to sleep once again.

The next morning during breakfast there's a knock at the door.

After Edward refilled my coffee cup he walked over and opened the door.

Suddenly I felt someone's arms envelope me in a hug.

When I finally got the chance to breathe and look around I saw the arms belonged to Alice.

I didn't even get a chance to say "hi" before she suddenly said "You and I are going out on a girl's day out."

Then before I could ask about Nessie she looked at her, kissed her head and said "Sorry sweetie, just mommy and auntie Alice."

I really didn't want to go so I started making excuses.

"Alice, I'm exhaused, I have to shower, clean house, and I don't feel comfortable leaving Nessie yet."

Her response left me speechless.

"You can't be that exhausted since Edward was up with Nessie most of the night, you can shower before we leave...Edward just told me telepathically he will clean house while we're gone, and you can always call Edward to check on Nessie however often you want to." she finished with a smart-ass smile.

I looked at my last hope with a "help me" look.

But Edward just smiled and kissed my forehead before telling me "Baby, you need a day to yourself."

As soon as Edward said this I heard Alice squeal.

"Ok go shower while I pick out your outfit." she said as she headed into my and Edward's bedroom.

I turned to Edward and gave him a look that would have killed him.

"What?" he asked.

"I really didn't want an 'alice and me' day." I said.

He came over and gave me a hug from behind and kissed my temple before saying "No, but you need a day out. And don't worry, Nessie and I will be ok for a few hours. And like Alice says if you get worried you can call whenever and however many times you want."

I was about to reply when I heard Alice yell "I don't hear the shower running."

I just smiled, shook my head and stood up before kissing Nessie and Edward and going to take my shower.

After my shower I walked in to see what Alice had picked out.

It wasn't too bad. A dark blue nice shirt, a medium length black skirt, and my black ballet flats.

After getting dressed I put my hair up in a ponytail and walked out to see Alice doting on Nessie.

After giving Nessie and Edward another hug and kiss Alice almost pulled me out the door.

Honestly, it wasn't too bad.

Alice took me shopping (I mostly bought stuff for Nessie), then we went out to the diner for lunch before heading home about 3.

I walked in to see Edward sitting on the couch watching tv.

"Hey there beautiful." he said as I sat down next to him.

"Hey yourself handsome." I said before kissing him.

"So how was your day?" I asked snuggling into his shoulder.

"It was good. After you left Nessie and I cleaned up the kitchen, then we did a load of laundry and cleaned up her's and our room. She's taking a nap now. What about you and Alice?" he asked.

"It was good. We went shopping and out to lunch." I replied.

I then showed him 2 cute outfits and a cute puppy stuffed animal I picked up for Nessie.

After that we heard Nessie wake up.

Edward looked at his watch and saw it was about 5:30.

"I'll fix dinner while you bathe her." he said before kissing me.

"Sounds good to me." I said as I headed into Nessie's room.

"Hello there sweetie." I said as I picked Nessie up from her bed.

After giving her a kiss on the head I put Nessie in her bouncer seat while I got her bath things together.

After grabbing her towel, rubber ducky, powder, lotion, and baby wash and putting them in the bathroom I carried her and her seat into the bathroom while I filled up her tiny tub.

After blowing bubbles, squeaking duckies, and washing her up we finally went in to dry off and get her dressed.

We walked out to see Edward had fixed me a hamburger and some fries. We sat and talked while I ate my dinner.

After I ate Edward washed the dishes while I fed Nessie her dinner.

After that we sat down to watch Avatar together.

After the movie was over I looked at the clock and saw it was a little after 9.

Knowing it was Nessie's bedtime I picked her up from her bassinett we had in the living room and took her into her room.

I heard Edward say "I'm going to take a shower." before I walked into Nessie's room.

Then I got her into her jammies and changed her diaper.

We then sat in the rocking chair where I started rocking and singing her to sleep.

But I think the rocking worked a little too well for both of us.

Last thing I remembered was seeing Nessie asleep before my eyes got heavy.

The coldness on my cheek woke me up.

I looked up to see a shirtless Edward carrying me into our bedroom.

"Nessie's asleep and in bed. I walked in after my shower to see you both asleep in the rocking chair so I put Nessie in bed and picked you up." he said as he laid me in bed.

"And now, it's time to put my 'big girl' to bed." he said smiling as he covered me up.

I felt the bed dip as he laid down next to me. I immediately rolled over and snuggled into his chest, falling asleep for a few hours before Nessie got hungry again.

**OK so like I said, I don't think this is some of my best work but since I have a HUGE writers block and I wrote this before my block came up I'm gonna go ahead and post it.**

**And once again to all my reviewers PLEASE if you have any ideas, about any characters, plot dips or rises, or ANYTHING that you want to see in the next few chapters I would LOVE to hear them and I PROMISE to put them into consideration and thought for the next few chapters til my block is cleared up. I know where the story is going but right now I'm stuck in a rut.**

**SO PLEASE READ AND REVIEW AND GIVE ME IDEAS REVIEWERS!**


	24. Chapter 24: Jacob's Surprising Day

**HEY TO ALL MY READERS! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS. THEY REALLY HELP ME TO KEEP WRITING. SO, I'M HAVING WRITING BLOCK ON EDWARD AND BELLA SO...I DECIDED TO GIVE YOU GUYS ANOTHER JACOB CHAPTER...****WITH A TWIST IN JACOB'S LIFE. **** WANNA KNOW WHAT IT IS? READ ON AND FIND OUT (EVIL LAUGH)**

I paced back and forth, back and forth on my 4 legs. I couldn't believe what had just happened not half an hour ago.

I had just gotten back from a run with Quil and Embry. They had asked if they could come in and play some video games but I saw Leah's car.

"Sorry boys, Leah's here and I want some alone time with my girl." I said with a smile.

"No prob, see ya tomorrow Jake." Quil said before jumping into Embry's car and driving off.

I walked in to see Leah pacing and looking nervous.

"Hey you ok?" I asked as I gave her a welcoming hug.

"Not exactly Jake." she said as we broke our embrace.

"Well what's up?" I asked going into the kitchen to get some water.

"Whatever it is it can't be that bad." I said running the water in the sink.

I heard her chuckle before she said "You might not think so Jake."

"Leah, just tell me." I said finishing my water before putting the cup in the sink.

"Ok...Jake...I'm pregnant." she said looking nervous.

Words could not express what I was feeling suddenly.

I was shocked, scared, and had no idea what the hell we were getting ourselves into.

When I got like this I almost always shapeshifted so I knew I had to get out of there before I accidentally sent the wrong message. And tore my dad's place apart.

"I gotta go think, just don't go anywhere ok?" I asked before hugging her.

I felt her nod into my shoulder. I kissed her passionately before heading out the door. I wasn't even 5 feet away when I suddenly shapeshifted.

That was half an hour ago. I have been walking, sitting, and pacing up here on our cliff-diving platform; trying to figure out what to do next.

I knew one thing for certain. Being second in command was NOT going to give my child the promising future they needed.

I HAD opted out earlier. When I wasn't ready, when I didn't have a reason to be Alpha Wolf.

Now I did. 

Now I had a woman I loved that I would be marrying soon.

Now I had a child on the way.

Now I needed to step up and take my rightful place as Alpha of the pack.

But to do that I would have to do something that had NEVER been done in the history of our tribe.

I would have to request Sam step down as Alpha.

If he refused I would have to challenge him to one battle.

Whoever won would be the Alpha.

No questions, requests or thing could undo that.

I ran back to the house and got some clothes before going back into the living room where Leah had fallen asleep on the couch.

I lightly brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her cheek causing her to stir.

"Sshh, it's ok, go back to sleep. I gotta go talk to Sam but I'll be back." I whispered.

She nodded before rolling over and going back to sleep.

I then went out and started up the rabbit, heading to Sam's house.

**10 MINUTES LATER**

I knocked on Sam's front door to have Emily open the door.

"Hey Jake, what brings you here?" she asked.

"I'm here to talk to Sam." I said plainly.

"Well, he's out for a run but should be back soon. You want to stay here and wait for him?" she asked.

"Sure." I said walking in.

**5 MINUTES LATER**

Sam walked in and kissed Leah before seeing me at the table.

"Hey Jake, what's up?" he asked sitting next to me.

"Well Sam," I said starting to lean forward, putting my forearms on the table, "I just found out that Leah's pregnant."

Sam looked at me shocked.

"I know, I know, I don't need any lecture one way or the other. I just need to know that she's gonna have it easy til the baby's born." I said.

"Of course she will Jake. As Alpha I need to make sure ALL of my pack is safe and free from danger." he said with a cocky smile.

"That brings me to the other thing I came here to talk to you about Sam. We both know I originally was supposed to be Alpha of the pack but I wasn't ready. That's why I decided to allow you to take control of the pack. But with Leah pregnant with our child, I'm realizing I'm ready to be Alpha. So I am asking you kindly, Sam, to step down as Alpha and let me take the rightful place as leader of this pack." I finished, watching him for a response.

He barely thought for 15 seconds before he replied.

"No Jacob. I will not step down. I have carried this pack through so much already and I refuse to step away from the leadership that has been placed on me." he said before sitting back and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Then I guess we settle this the way our ancestors intended." I said sitting back and crossing my arms as well.

He looked at me confused.

"One battle. And whoever wins is Alpha, no complaints or questions. It will have been decided by the spirits."

Sam thought this over a minute before looking at me...and nodding.

We eyed each other as we walked in a circle, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Suddenly Sam lunged at me. I quickly jumped to the left to avoid him sinking his teeth into my shoulder. I then quickly turned around and lunged at him grabbing some loose muscle in his shoulder in my teeth. I heard him wimper as I pulled away. I remembered he had hurt his shoulder last week when we were training. It may be low, but I decided to use it to my advantage. He paid me back though by standing on his hindlegs and pushing me in the chest, knocking me to the ground. Before I had a chance to get back up he jumped on my back with all 4 paws. It hurt like hell. Sam stepped back and started circling me. I knew he thought I was down for the count. But he was about to learn otherwise. He lunged at me with all his strength. I immediately jumped up and shoved every ounce of my weight right into his chest. I jumped to my feet and looked at Sam just as he turned human once more.

It was over.

I phased back and tossed Sam his shorts before getting my own on.

Sam stood up, gasping for breath.

When he finally got his breath he walked over to me.

He gave me this look that made me think he was about to punch me.

But instead he put his hand out for me to shake.

So I did.

"Congratulations, Alpha." he said before releasing my hand and walking back into his house.

I knew he was gonna need a few days so I just decided to go home and wake up Leah and tell her the good news.

I pulled up to the house to the smell of hamburgers.

I walked in to find Leah cooking in the kitchen.

"Hey beautiful." I said as I came up behind her and hugged her from behind.

"Hey back." she said before turning around to kiss me.

"Where were you, I was getting worried." she said before turning back around to flip the burgers.

"Went to go talk to Sam. Told him you were pregnant. Oh yeah, and I challenged him for Alpha and won." I said casually knowing it would get a rise out of her.

"What? Jake I thought you didn't want to be Alpha. That's why you let Sam take the job." she said.

"I DIDN'T." I replied.

"Well what changed your mind?" she asked.

"Well, you did. You and the baby that is." I replied as she brought the burgers over.

"What do you mean?" she asked sitting down to eat with me.

"Well, I realized that, as Alpha, I could provide a BETTER future for us and our child. You already mean the world to me and, since this baby is you and me, he or she means alot to me too." I said.

Leah smiled before coming over and sitting in my lap.

She gave me a kiss before saying "Thank you, and I love you."

I shrugged before saying "I know."

This earned me a smack on the chest.

I jokingly grabbed where she hit me and said "Ow."

After we had our laugh about that I kissed her passionately and told her "I love you too."

At this moment, I knew our future was bright. And that I couldn't have been any happier than I was at this moment.

With the woman I love and our child on the way.

**SOOOOOOOOOOO WHAT DO YOU THINK? I DIDN"T REMEMBER IF AN ALPHA HAD BEEN CHALLENGED IN THE BOOKS OR NOT, SO I JUST CONCLUDED THAT IT HADN'T HAPPEN BEFORE. SO REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YA THINK. THANK YOU TO ALL MY READERS AND REVIEWERS! PUSH THAT BUTTON PEOPLE!**


	25. Chapter 25: Visits

**Hey everyone sorry it's taken so long but I think my block's almost gone. I think I know what's gonna happen from now to the end so I should have a chapter up at least once a month now! So read this please, I'm super proud of this one so let me know what you think! Read on my minions, read on!**

BELLA'S POV:

"Bella let's go!" I heard Edward call from the living room.

"Just a minute, I'm looking for Nessie's favorite toy. I think I dropped it in her dirty clothes hamper last night by mistake." I called back from her room.

"I already found it and put it in her bag. Now come on, your dad's already called twice." he said from the doorway.

I turned around to see him standing there with Nessie sleeping in her carseat in one hand and her diaper bag in his other hand. I don't know why, but seeing him standing there like that was starting to turn me on.

Edward must have seen the look on my face because he smiled and chuckled before saying "We should probably get going before you jump me and try to seduce me."

I smiled, looked down, and tucked my hair behind my ear as we walked out the door.

Once in the Volvo Edward strapped Nessie in while I checked her bag. Edward had done well. He had a handful of diapers, her wipes, a change of clothes, and a bottle of formula and a bottle of mountain lion blood.

We found out early that Nessie craves blood just like her daddy. She was about 3 weeks old when Edward was out hunting one day and she got hungry. So I sat down and started feeding her when she bit me. At first I didn't think much of it, she had been born with a couple of teeth and had nipped at me before. But then I realized she was sucking just above my nipple. She was sucking my blood. I let her drink for a couple of minutes before stopping her and getting her a bottle of formula. As soon as she finished her formula and I laid her down I noticed her cheeks looked fuller and had more color in them. When Edward got home I told him what happened and he called Carlise to check. He said it was highly possible since Nessie was half-vampire that she needed blood to survive. That evening he brought by a couple of their "emergency blood" packs to hold Nessie over til Edward went hunting again.

Now every time Edward went hunting he took along a blood bag to fill up for Nessie. Needless to say, we kept the bags in a chest freezer in our bedroom in case of guests who don't know of Edward and Nessie's needs.

We got to Charlie's bout 20 minutes later. Thankfully Edward had found the apartment equal distance from both Charlie and his family.

I walked up to the door with the bag as Edward got Nessie out of the car. Charlie must have seen us coming cuz he opened the door before I got there.

"Hey Bells." he said before pulling me into a hug.

"Hey dad." I replied as I heard Edward coming up behing us.

As I walked in I glanced behind me to see how it would go between the two.

Edward held out his hand for Charlie to shake.

"Chief Swan, it's good to see you again." he said.

Charlie shook his hand before replying.

"Edward, since you're gonna be my son-in-law in a few days, maybe you should start calling me Charlie."

I saw Edward smile a little before saying "If that's what you like, Charlie."

Charlie and I smiled at the same time. This was good, it meant that Charlie was coming around.

I grabbed everyone a glass of water as Edward got Nessie out of her carseat.

We sat and talked for about a couple of hours before I smelled something horrible. It didn't take long for the scent of dirty diaper to hit daddy as well.

"I'll get Nessie's diaper bag." he said getting up.

"Nessie?" Charlie asked confused.

"It's Renessme's nickname. Edward came up with it one day and we thought it was cute." I explained before Edward got back into the room.

After I had changed her I saw her give out a BIG yawn. I looked at Edward and said "We should probably get her home for a nap."

He nodded in agreement before getting up to get her carseat.

"Sorry dad, but we need to get Nessie home for her nap." I explained as I wrapped her blanket loosely around her.

"That's fine, I understand." he said.

"Oh, Alice will probably be calling you sometime this next week to finalize some things with you about the wedding." Edward said as he put Nessie in the carseat.

"Oh really? I thought she had it all planned." he said shifting nervously in his chair.

"Oh she does, but she wants to do final fittings and plan the rehearsal dinner. After all, the wedding is only one week away." Edward explained.

I couldn't help the smile that came across my face at the thought that in one week I would be Mrs. Edward Cullen. In one week Edward and I would be together forever, in every way possible.

After we said our goodbyes we got in the car and headed home.

I must have been tired too because after we got Nessie down for her nap Edward and I put in a movie and I woke up when I heard Nessie crying.

Today, I gave her a bath while Edward cleaned up a little bit.

Shortly after her bath my cell started ringing.

I was a little surprised but happy to see the name on the caller id.

"Hey you, long time no talk." I said.

"You're telling me." Jacob replied with a chuckle.

"So what's up?" I asked.

"Well, I actually wanted to talk to you. Can you come down to the reservation?" he asked.

I looked at the clock. It was only 3:00, I still had alot of time.

"Sure, I'll be there in about 45 minutes." I said.

"Great, see ya then." he said. I could hear the smile in his voice as he hung up.

I walked into our bedroom to see Edward sorting out clothes.

"Hey, Jacob wants to talk to me about something. Think you and Nessie will be ok for bout 2 hours?" I asked.

"Yeah sure, just don't be too late ok?" he asked coming over to hug me.

"I'll be back in time for dinner." I promised before kissing him.

I walked into the living room where Nessie was in her bouncer. I didn't feel guilty leaving her there because Edward had a clear view of her from the bedroom.

I kissed her head and when she looked at me I assured her "Don't worry, mommy will be back soon."

At that I grabbed the keys to my truck (yes I convinced Edward to let me keep it) and headed out the door.

It seemed like forever since I had driven down this road. When I saw the red house so many memories came flooding back, both good and bad. But I forgot about all of that when I saw Jacob walk out and smile at me.

I smiled back as I got out of the truck.

I had barely shut the door before being engulfed in one of Jacob's bear, er wolf, hugs.

"Hey Loca." he said.

"Hey yourself." I replied when he put me down.

"So what's up?" I asked.

He chuckled and looked down kicking the dirt a little.

"A lot. Let's go inside and talk." he said nodding toward the house.

I sat there in shock at what all he had just told me.

He and Leah were engaged and expecting a baby in about 8 months and he had challenged Sam and won his Alpha title back?

"Bella, you ok?" he asked waving a hand in front of my eyes bringing me back to reality.

"Yeah, just trying to wrap my mind around all of this. Leah's really changed you huh?" I asked.

He chuckled before smiling.

"Yeah, she makes me want to be a better person. She just makes me see things more clearly. She's, she's-" he couldn't finish his thought but I knew what it was.

"She's your soulmate." I replied.

He smiled with a look in his eyes that I had only seen in one other man's eyes. It was the same look Edward got right before he told me he loved me everyday. It was a look of pure happiness.

"Exactly. Which brings me to the other thing I wanted to talk to you about Bella. I realized the other day I hadn't told you this yet but, I'm waving the white flag on 'us'." he said.

I looked at him a little confused.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh come on Bella, we both know I laid my heart on the line for you and you chose Edward. Which I admit, I was super pissed about. But now that I've found Leah...she fills the hole that was left in my heart when you chose him. No, more than that, she fills my ENTIRE heart. So...I'm offically telling you I'm going to stop pursuing you. And I hope you and Edward are happy together." he finished with a smile.

I smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason I felt relieved.

Then I looked at the clock and realized it was 4:00.

"I gotta go, I promised Edward I'll be back in time for dinner and he starts fixing dinner at 5." I said grabbing my purse. 

"I'll walk you out." he said as he got up.

When we got to the truck he hugged me really tight. When he pulled away I gave him a light kiss.

He looked at me a little confused.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Consider it a goodbye kiss." I said smiling.

"Goodbye?" he asked getting more confused.

"Goodbye to...'us'." I explained.

"Ah, ok." he said, understanding washing over his face.

I then got into my baby and backed out, Jacob waving til I turned and pulled out onto the road.

I got home to find Nessie asleep in her playpen. I was about to call for Edward when I smelled spaghetti sauce and hamburger wafting from the kitchen.

I walked in to see him stirring the spaghetti.

He looked up and smiled at me when he heard my footsteps.

I walked over and turned him away from the stovetop before giving him a passionate kiss.

When I pulled away I saw him beaming.

"Not that I didn't enjoy that, but what was that for?" he asked.

I just smiled and hugged him before saying, "Just for being the perfect guy for me."

And it was true.

He pulled out just enough for me to see his smile before he returned the passionate kiss.

"Go sit down, dinner will be ready in a few minutes." he said turning to the stove again.

His spaghetti was amazing. And his garlic bread wasn't too bad either.

After dinner I fed Nessie her bottles while he washed the dishes.

We then sat down and watched a movie together til Nessie's bedtime.

I took her in and rocked her to sleep while I heard Edward cleaning up the living room from the day.

After she fell asleep I put her to bed before going out to find Edward in the bedroom reading.

"She asleep?" he asked as I crawled in next to him.

I nodded before placing my head on his chest.

My breathing was getting very even and I felt my eyes getting heavy about an hour later.

Edward sensed it because he put his book away and turned out the lights before laying down next to me.

I placed my head and left hand on his chest.

I felt him lift my left hand and kiss my ring finger.

"Only one more week, Mrs. Cullen." he said with a smile.

"Only one more." I said before falling into my blissful and peaceful sleep.

**SOOOOOO...What do you think? Let me know. Oh, and the next chapter should be up soon and it's one I've been looking forward to writing. Can anyone guess what it will be? The first one to review correctly will get a sneek peek at the chapter. They will get it 24 hours before I post it for the rest. So get those guesses in soon people! Push that button!**


	26. Chapter 26: The Big Day

**HEY EVERYONE! I know I said once a month but I was just soooo excited to write this chapter I just had to get it up and out to you guys as quickly as possible. Now you will probably notice I took 95% of this chapter from Breaking Dawn, but that's because I LOVE how Stephenie described it and how simple she kept it, that I didn't want to mess too much with it. SO I hope I didn't offend anyone with how I wrote this and I hope you love it. So read on my little minions, read on!**

"I miss you already." I said snuggling deeper into his chest.

"I don't need to leave. I can stay..."

"Mmm."

It was quiet for a long moment, just the thud of my heart, the broken rhythm of our breathing, and the whisper of our lips moving in snychronization.

This was one of those times it was easy to forget that I was kissing a vampire. Not because he seemed ordinary or human-I could never for a second forget that I was holding someone more angel than man in my arms-but because he made it seem like nothing at all to have his lips against my lips, my face, my throat.

I opened my eyes and found his open, too, staring at my face. It made no sense when he looked at me that way. Like I was the prize rather than the outrageously lucky winner.

Our gazes locked for a moment; his golden eyes were so deep that I imagined I could see all the way into his soul. It seemed silly that this fact-the existence of his soul-had ever been in question, even if he was a vampire. He had the most beautiful soul, more beautiful than his brilliant mind or his incomparable face or his glorious body.

He looked back at me as if he could see my soul, too, and as if he liked what he saw.

I pulled his face to mine again.

"Definitely staying." he murmured a moment later.

"No, no. It's your bachelor party. You have to go."

I said the words, but the fingers of my right hand locked into his bronze hair, my left pressed tighter against the small of his back. His cool hands stroked my face.

"Bachelor parties are designed for those who are sad to see the passing of their single days. I couldn't be more eager to have mine behind me. So there's really no point."

"True." I breathed against the winter-cold skin of his throat.

This was pretty close to my happy place. Nessie was sleeping in her bed. We were curled up on our bed, intertwined as much as possible. Though I was underneath the blankets, him on top. Having a stone cold vampire for a mate made cuddling difficult, for now.

At least, if I had to be bundled up, Edward's shirt was on the floor. I never got over the shock of how perfect his body was-white, cool, and polished as marble. I ran my hand down his stone chest now, tracing across the flat planes of his stomach, just marveling. A light shudder rippled through him, and his mouth found mine again. Carefully, I let the tip of my tongue press against his glass smooth lip, and he sighed. His sweet breath washed-cold and delicious-over my face.

He started to pull away-that was his automatic response whenever he decided things had gone too far, his reflex reaction whenever he most wanted to keep going. Edward had spent most of his life rejecting any kind of physical gratification. I knew it was terrifying to him trying to change those habits now.

"Wait," I said, gripping his shoulders and hugging myself close to him. I kicked the blankets off and wrapped one leg around his waist. "Practice makes perfect."

He chuckled. "Well, we should be fairly close to perfection by this point, then, shouldn't we? Have you slept at all in the last month?"

I chuckled before replying to his question. "Well, considering Nessie's only 5 weeks old tomorrow I would have to say no, not much." I said getting a chuckle out of him.

"Besides, this is the dress rehearsal," I reminded him, "and we've only practiced certain scenes. It's no time for playing safe."

I thought he would laugh, but he didn't answer, and his body was motionless with sudden stress. The gold in his eyes seemed to harden from a liquid to a solid.

I thought over my words, realized what he would have heard in them.

"Bella...," he whispered.

"Don't start this again," I said. "A deal's a deal."

"I don't know. It's too hard to concentrate when you're with me like this. I-I can't think straight. I won't be able to control myself. You'll get hurt."

"I'll be fine." I insisted. "Besides, you were very delicate and careful when Nessie was conceived, what makes you think you won't be able to do it once, or twice, again?" I asked.

"Bella, it's not that. Do you remember what I told you before? That I only want to be with you in that sense after I have a ring on your finger?" he asked reminding me.

"Yes," I said but not giving up, "but, can't you make one exception?" I asked pressing my lips to his to stop his panic attack. He wasn't getting out of this deal. Not after insisting I marry him first.

He kissed me back for a moment, but I could tell he wasn't as into it as before.

Worrying, always worrying. How different it would be when he didn't need to worry about me anymore. What would he do with all his free time? He'd have to get a new hobby.

"How are your feet?" he asked.

Knowing he didn't mean it literally, I answered, "Toasty warm."

"Really? No second thoughts? It's not too late to change your mind."

I chuckled at how ridiculous that comment was. We had a beautiful baby girl and we were already living together.

I knew he was joking but I feigned shock as I asked "Are you trying to ditch me?"

He chuckled. "Just making sure. I don't want you to do anythkng you're not sure about."

"I'm sure about you. About us. About us and Nessie. The rest I can live through." I assured him.

He hesitated, and I wondered if I'd put my foot in my mouth again.

"Can you?" he asked quietly. "I don't mean the wedding-which I am positive you will survive despite your qualms-but afterward...what about Renee, what about Charlie?"

This had become a topic of discussion over the past week. Whether or not I was REALLY ready to go through with EVERYTHING.

I sighed. "I'll miss them." Worse, that they would miss me, but I didn't want to give him any fuel.

I laughed but then was serious. "Edward, we've been through this and through this. I know it will be hard, but this is what I want. I want you, and I want you forever. One lifetime is simply not enough for me."

"Frozen forever at eighteen," he whispered.

"Every woman's dream come true," I teased.

Never changing...never moving forward."

"What does that mean?" I asked, knowing there was more to that comment than he had let on.

He sighed and shifted slightly before replying. "What if you want to have more kids? If you go through with this-"

I put my hand over his lips, stopping him mid-sentence. "You and Nessie are my future. Now stop. No moping, or I'm calling your brothers to come and get you. Maybe you need a bachelor party."

"I'm sorry. I am moping, aren't I? Must be the nerves."

"Are your feet cold?"

"Not in that sense. I've been waiting a century to marry you, Miss Swan. The wedding ceremony is the only thing I can't wait-" he broke off mid-thought. "Oh, for the love of all that's holy!"

"What? What's wrong!"

He gritted his teeth. "You don't have to call my brothers. Apparently Emmett and Jasper aren't going to let me bow out tonight."

I clutched him closer for one second then released him. I didn't have a prayer of winning a tug-of-war with Emmett. "Have fun."

There was a slight squeal against the window-someone deliberatetly scraping their steel nails across the glass to make a horrible, cover-your-ears, goose-bumps-down-your-spine noise. I shuddered, hoping it wouldn't wake up Nessie but she slept right though it.

"If you don't send Edward out," Emmett-still invisible in the night-hissed menacingly, "we're coming in after him!"

"Go," I laughed. "Before they break the place and wake up Nessie."

Edward rolled his eyes, but he got to his feet in one fluid movement and has his shirt back on in another. He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"Get to sleep. You've got a big day tomorrow."

"Thanks! That's sure to help me wind down."

"I'll meet you at the altar."

"I'll be the one in white." I smiled at how perfectly balse I sounded.

He chuckled, said, "Very convincing," and then suddenly sank into a crouch, his muscles coiled like a spring. He vanished-launching himself out my window too swiftly for my eyes to follow.

Outside, there was a muted thud, and I heard Emmett curse.

"You'd better not make him late," I murmured, knowing they could hear.

And then Jasper's face was peering in my window, his honey hair silver in the weak moonlight that worked through the clouds.

"Don't worry, Bella. We'll get him home in plenty of time."

I was suddenly very calm, and my qualms all seemed unimportant.

I sat up awkardly, tangled in the sheets. "Jasper? What do vampires do for bachelor parties? You're not taking him to a strip club, are you?

"Don't tell her anything!" Emmett growled from below. There was another thud, and Edward laughed quietly.

"Relax," Jasper told me-and I did. "We Cullens have our own version. Just a few mountain lions, a couple of grizzly bears. Pretty much an ordinary night out."

I wondered if I would ever be able to sound so cavalier about the "vegetarian" vampire diet.

"Thanks, Jasper."

He winked and dropped from sight.

It was completely silent outside.

I lay back against my pillow, sleepy now. I stared at the wall of our room, bleached pale in the moonlight, from under heavy lids.

My last night as Isabella Swan. Tomorrow night, I would be Bella Cullen. Though the whole marriage ordeal was a thorn in my side, I had to admilt that I liked the sound of that.

I let my mind wander idly for a moment, expecting sleep to take me. But, after a few minutes, I found myslef more alert, anxiety creeping back into my stomach, twisting it into uncomfortable positions. The bed seemed too soft, too big, and too warm without Edward in it. Jasper was far away, and all the peaceful, relaxed feelings were gone with him.

It was going to be a very long day tomorrow.

I was aware that most of the my fears were stupid-I just had to get over myself.

Attention was an inevitable part of life. I couldn't always blend in with the scenery. However, I did have a few specific worries that were completely valid.

First there was the wedding dress's train. Alice clearly had let her artistic sense overpower practicalities on that one. Maneuvering the Cullens' staircase in heels and a train sounded impossible.

I should have practiced.

This and about a million other thoughts raced through my mind until I finally succumbed to the exhaustion that hung over me and I fell asleep.

I awoke to the sounds of my little Nessie crying to be fed. I grudgingly got out of bed and walked to the kitchen to make her a bottle.

After she was fed I got us dressed and headed out the door.

I was under strict orders from Alice that as soon as we woke up we had to go to the house to start getting ready.

As I turned into the drive I saw Alice had gotten to reuse her graduation decorations. Three miles of drive were once again wrapped in hundreds of thousands of twinkle lights. This time, she'd added white satin bows.

Pulling into the cavernous garage north of the main house I noticed Emmett's big Jeep was still gone.

Thankfully Edward had left the Volvo, with Nessie's carseat base, at the apartments so we were able to take daddy's car instead of mommy's truck.

I cut the engine and grabbed Nessie in her carseat and her bag with about 2 weeks of supplies before heading into the house.

It was Alice's idea that her, Rosalie, and Esme take care of Nessie while Edward and I were on our honeymoon.

Walking in the house, I was immediately assailed by the scent.

"What is that?" I wondered as I walked into the kitchen to find Charlie in the kitchen eating food from what looked like an all you can eat buffett.

Alice looked up and started beaming as soon as she saw me walk in.

"Is it too much?" Alice's voice and face was abruptly worried. "I hope I got it right."

"It smells wonderful!" I assured her-almost intoxicating, but not at all overwhelming, the balance of the different fragrances was subtle and flawless.

"Orange blossome...lilac...and something else-am I right?"

"Very good, Bella. You only missed the freesia and the roses." she said as she came over to hug me.

Alice's short black hair was not in its usual spiky do-it was smoothed into sleek pin curls around her pixie face, which wore a constrastingly businesslike expression.

"I'll take her, you sit and eat." she said as she took Nessie in her carseat into the living room.

"Where's mom?" I asked Charlie as I dished up.

Renee had flown in two days ago, and I'd spent every minute I could with her.

Charlie signaled upstairs with his fork.

"Upstairs with Phil and Joshua helping them get dressed." he explained.

I just nodded as I sat down to eat.

Alice walked back in just as I had finished eating.

"Oh Charlie don't forget, you're picking up Mr. Weber at three o' clock," Alice reminded him.

"I don't have that much to do today besides bring the minister, Alice. I'm not likely to forget my only job." Charlie replied.

He had taken the entire day off for the wedding, and he was definitely at loose ends.

"That's not your only job. You also have to be dressed and presentable." I reminded him as I walked back over to him.

He scowled into his food and muttered the words "monkey suit" under his breath.

"You think you have it bad," I said, grimacing at I stopped by him. "Alice will be working on me all day long." I whispered though I knew she could hear me.

Charlie nodded thoughtfully, conceding that he did have the lesser ordeal. I ducked in to kiss the top of his head as I passed him-he blushed and harrumphed.

"Speaking of which, we need to get started Bella so come on." she said grabbing my hand.

"Wait, what about Nessie?" I asked.

"Don't worry, Esme is ready so she's taking care of Nessie. Now come on." she said gently pulling me up the stairs.

Alice appraised me as I got into her room.

"Oh, hell, look at your eyes!" She tsked in reproach. "What did you do? Stay up all night?"

"Almost."

She glowered. "I've only alloted so much time to make you stunning Bella-you might have taken better care of my raw material."

"No one expects me to be stunning. I think the bigger problem is that I might fall asleep during the ceremony and not be able to say 'I do' at the right part, and then Edward will make his escape."

She laughed. "I'll throw my bouquet at you when it gets close."

"Thanks." I said with a smile.

"At least you'll have plenty of time to sleep on the plane tomorrow."

I raised one eyebrow. Tomorrow, I mused. If we were heading out tonight after the reception, and we would still be on a plane tomorrow...

Edward hadn't dropped a single hint about the honeymoon. I wasn't too stressed about the mystery, but it was strange not knowing where I would be sleeping tomorrow night. Or hopefully not sleeping...

Alice realized that she'd given something away, and she frowned.

"You're all packed and ready," she said to distract me.

It worked. "Alice, I wish you would let me pack my own things!"

"It would have given too much away."

"And denied you an opportunity to shop."

"You'll be my sister officially in ten short hours...it's about time to get over this aversion to new clothes."

I glowered groggily into the mirror as Alice got out her makeup kit.

"Is he back yet?" I asked.

"Don't worry, he'll be there before the music starts. But you don't get to see him, no matter when he gets back. We're doing this the traditional way."

I snorted. "Traditional!"

"Okay, aside from the bride and groom."

"You know he's already peeked."

"Oh no-that's why I'm the only one who's seen you in the dress. I've been very careful to not think about it when he's around."

She didn't let go of my hand until we were in her oversized bathroom. I stared at the long counter, covered in all the paraphernalia of a beauty salon, and began to feel my sleepless night.

"Is this really necessary? I'm going to look plain next to him no matter what."

She pushed me down into a low pink chair. "No one will dare to call you plain when I'm through with you."

"Only because they're afraid you'll suck their blood," I muttered. I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes, hoping I'd be able to nap through it. I did drift in and out a little bit while she masked, buffed, and polished every surface of my body.

It was after lunchtime when Rosalie glided past the bathroom door in a shimmery silver gown with her golden hair piled up in a soft crown on top of her head. She was so beautiful it made me want to cry. What was even the point of dressing up with Rosalie around?

"They're back," Rosalie said, and immediately my childish fit of despair passed. Edward was home.

"Keep him out of here!"

"He won't cross you today," Rosalie reassured her. "He values his life too much. Esme's got them finishing things up out back. Do you want some help? I could do her hair."

My jaw fell open. I floundered around in my head, trying to remember how to close it.

I had never been Rosalie's favorite person in the world. Then, making things even more strained between us, she was personally offended by the choice I was making now. Though she had her impossible beauty, her loving family, and her soulmate in Emmett, she would have traded it all to be human. And here I was, callously throwing away everything she wanted in life like it was garbage. It didn't exactly warm her to me.

"Sure," Alice said easily. "You can start braiding. I want it intricate. The veil goes here, underneath." Her hands started combing through my hair, hefting it, twisting it, illustrating in detail what she wanted. When she was done, Rosalie's hands replaced hers, shaping my hair with a feather-light touch. Alice moved back to my face.

Once Rosalie recieved Alice's commendation on my hair, she was sent off to retrieve my dress. Downstairs, I could faintly hear the door opening and closing over and over. Voices began to float up to us.

Alice made me stand so that she could ease the dress over my hair and makeup.

My knees shook so badly as she fastened the long line of pearl buttons up my back that the satin quivered in little wavelets down to the floor.

"Deep breaths, Bella," Alice said. "And try to lower your heart rate. You're going to sweat off your new face."

I gave her the best sarcastic expression I could manage. "I'll get right on that."

"I have to get dressed now. Can you hold yourself together for two minutes?"

"Um...maybe?"

She rolled her eyes and darted out the door.

I concentrated on my breathing, counting each movement of my lungs, and stared at the patterns that the bathroom light made on the shiny fabric of my skirt. I was afraid to look in the mirror-afraid the image of myself in the weddind dress would send me over the edge into a full-scale panic attack.

Alice was back before I had taken two hundred breaths, in a dress that flowed down her slender body like a silvery waterfall.

"Alice-wow."

"It's nothing. No one will be looking at me today. Not while you're in the room."

"Har har."

"Now, are you in control of yourself, or do I have to bring Jasper up here?"

I was about to respond when mom walked in.

"Oh, Bella!" she squealed now, gushing before she was all the way through the door. "Oh, honey, you're so beautiful! Oh, I'm going to cry! Alice, you're amazing! You and Esme should go into business as wedding planners. Where did you find this dress? It's gorgeous! So graceful, so elegant Bella, you look like you just stepped out of an Austen movie." My mother's voice sounded a little distance away, and everything in the room was slightly blurry. "Such a creative idea, designing the theme around Bella's ring. So romantic! To think it's been in Edward's family since the eighteen hundreds!"

Alice and I exchanged a brief conspiratorial look. My mom was off on the dress style by more than a hundred years. The wedding wasn't actually centered around the ring, but around Edward himself.

There was a loud, gruff throat-clearing in the doorway.

"Renee, Esme said it's time you got settled down there." Charlie said.

"Well, Charlie, don't you look dashing!" Renee said in a tone that was almost shocked. That might have explained the crustiness of Charlie's answer.

"Alice got to me."

"Is it really time already?" Renee said to herself, sounding almost as nervous as I felt. "This has all gone so fast. I feel dizzy."

That made two of us.

"Give me a hug before I go down," Renee insisted. "Carefully now, don't tear anything."

My mother squeezed me gently around the waist, then wheeled for the door, only to complete the spin and face me again.

Oh, goodness, I almost forgot! Charlie, where's the box?"

My dad rummaged in his pockets for a minute and then produced a small white box, which he handed to Renee. Renee lifted the lid and held it out to me.

"Something blue," she said.

"Something old, too. They were your Grandma Swan's," Charlie added. "We had a jeweler replace the paste stones with sapphires."

Inside the box were two heavy silver hair combs. Dark blue sapphires were clustered into intricate floral shapes atop the teeth.

My throat got all thick. "Mom, Dad... you shouldn't have."

"Alice wouldn't let us do anything else," Renee said. "Every time we tried, she all but ripped our throats out."

A hysterical giggle burst through my lips.

Alice stepped up and quickly slid both combs into my hair under the edge of the thick braids. "That's something old and something blue," Alice mused, taking a few steps back to admire me. "And your dress is new...so here-"

She flicked something at me. I held my hands out automatically, and the filmy white garter landed in my palms.

"That's mine and I want it back," Alice told me.

I blushed.

"There," Alice said with satisfaction. "A little color-that's all you needed. You are officially perfect." With a little self-congratulatory smile, she turned to my parents. "Renee, you need to get downstairs."

"Yes, ma'am." Renee blew me a kiss and hurried out the door.

"Charlie, would you grab the flowers, please?"

While Charlie was out of the room, Alice hooked the garter out of my hands and then ducked under my skirt. I gasped and tottered as her cold hand caught my ankle; she yanked the garter into place.

She was back on her feet before Charlie returned with the two frothy white bouquets. The scent of roses and orange blossom and freesia enveloped me in a soft mist.

Suddenly a thought occured to me.

"Wait, where's Nessie?" I asked looking around.

"Esme has her downstairs, she agreed to take care of her through the cremony and most of the reception. Don't worry Bella." Alice said with a smile.

Rosalie-the best musician in the family nest to Edward-began playing the piano downstairs. Pachelbel's Canon. I began hyperventilating.

"Easy, Bells," Charlie said. He turned to Alice nervously. "She looks a little sick. Do you think she's going to make it?"

His voice sounded far away. I couldn't feel my legs.

"She's better."

Alice stood right in front of me, on her tiptoes to better stare me in the eye, and gripped my wrists in her hard hands.

"Focus, Bella. Edward is waiting for you down there."

I took a deep breath, willing myself into composure.

The music slowly morphed into a new song. Charlie nudged me. "Bells, we're up to bat."

"Bella?" Alice asked, still holding my gaze.

"Yes," I squeaked. "Edward. Okay." I let her pull me from the room, with Charlie tagging along at my elbow.

The music was louder in the hall. It floated up the stairs along with the fragrance of a million flowers. I concentrated on the idea of Edward waiting below to get my feet to shuffle forward.

The music was familiar, Wagner's traditional march surrounded by a flood of embellishments.

"It's my turn," Alice chimed. "Count to five and follow me." She began a slow, graceful dance down the staircase. I should have realized that having Alice as my only bridesmaid was a mistake. I would look that much more uncoordinated coming behind her.

A sudden fanfare trilled through the soaring music. I recognized my cue.

"Don't let me fall, Dad," I whispered. Charlie pulled my hand through his arm and then grasped it tightly.

One step at a time, I told myslef as we began to descent to the slow tempo of the march. I didn't lift my eyes until my feel were safely on the flat ground, though I could hear the murmurs and rustling of the audience as I came into view. Blood flooded my cheeks at the sound; of course I could be counted on to be the blushing bride.

As soon as my feet were past the treacherous stairs, I was looking for him. For a brief sedond, I was distracted by the profusion of white blossoms that hung in garlands from everything in the room that wasn't alive, dripping with long lines of white gossamer ribbons. So this was what Rosalie and Esme were doing while Alice was busy getting me ready.

But I tore my eyes from the bowery canopy and searched across the rows of satin-draped chairs-blushing more deeply as I took in the crowd of faces all focused on me-until I found him at last, standing before an arch overflowing with more flowers, more gossamer.

I was barely conscious that Carlisle stood by his side, and Angela's father behind them both. I didn't see my mother where she must have been sitting in the front row, or my new family, or any of the guests-they would have to wait till later.

All I really saw was Edward's face; it filled my vision and overwhelmed my mind.

His eyes were a buttery, burning gold; his perfect face was almost severe with the depth of his emotion. And then, as he met my awed gaze, he broke into a breathtaking smile of exultation.

Suddenly, it was only the pressure of Charlie's hand on mine that kept me from sprinting headlong down the aisle.

The march was too slow as I struggled to pace my steps to its rhythm. Mercifully, the aisle was very short. And then, at last, at last, I was there. Edward held out his hand. Charlie took my hand and, in a symbol as old as the world, placed it in Edward's. I touched the cool miracle of his skin, and I was home.

Our vows were the simple, traditional words that had been spoken a million times, though never by a couple quite like us. We'd asked Mr. Weber to make only one small change. He obligingly traded the line "till death do us part" for the more appropriate "as long as we both shall live."

In that moment, as the minister said his part, my world, which had been upside down for so long, now seemed to settle into its proper position. I saw just how silly I'd been for fearing this-as if it were an unwanted birthday gift or an embarrassing exhibition, like the prom. I looked into Edward's shining, triumphant eyes and knew that I was winning, too. Because nothing else mattered but that I could stay with him. Forever.

I didn't realize I was crying until it was time to say the binding words.

"I do," I managed to choke out in a nearly unintelligible whisper, blinking my eyes clear so I could see his face.

When it was his turn to speak, the words rang clear and victorious.

"I do," he vowed.

Mr. Weber delcared us husband and wife, and then Edward's hands reached up to cradle my face, carefully, as if it were as delicate as the white petals swaying about our heads. I tried to comprehend, through the film of tears blinding me, the surreal fact that this amazing person was mine. His golden eyes looked as if they would have tears, too, if such a thing were not impossible. He bent his head toward mine, and I stretched up on the tips of my toes, throwing my arms-bouquet and all-around his neck.

He kissed me tenderly, adoringly; I forgot the crowd, the place, the time, the reason...only remembering that he loved me, that he wanted me, that I was his.

He began the kiss, and he had to end it; I clung to him, ignoring the titters and the throat-clearing in the audience. Finally, his hands restrained my face and he pulled back-too soon-to look at me. On the surface, his sudden smile was amuse, almost a smirk. But underneath his momentary entertainment at my public exhibition was a deep joy that echoed my own.

The crowd erupted into applause, and he turned our bodies to face our friends and family. I couldn't look away from his face to see them.

My mother's arms were the first to find me, her tear-streaked face the first thing I saw when I finally tore my eyes unwillingly from Edward. And then I was handed through the crowd, passed from embrace to embrace, only vaguely aware of who held me, my attention centered on Edward's hand clutched tightlty in my own. I did recongize the difference between the soft, warm hugs of my human friends and the gentle, cool embraces of my new familiy.

But there were two scorching hugs that stood out from the rest-from mu best werewolf friend and his fiance who had braved the throng of vampires to be here for me today.

After we made it out of the crowd I saw Esme standing there smiling as she and Nessie waited for us to make it out.

I took Nessie before giving Esme a one armed hug. As I kissed Nessie I saw Edward give Esme a hug.

As they released each other Esme looked at both of us before looking into Edward's eyes and saying "I am so happy for you son."

At this I knew, if he could, Edward would have shed a few tears.

He kissed the top of her head as I heard him whisper "Thanks, mom." before turning to us. His family.

He kissed Nessie before kissing me again.

He looked at me with that blissfully happy smile before nodding his head in the direction of the reception Alice had orchestrated. I simply nodded before we started walking to the reception area, our little happy family, to enjoy the rest of the amazing day that I wished would never end.

**SOOOOO? Love it? Hate it? Review and let me know either way. I didn't get many reviews on my last chapter and it kinda made me sad so cheer me up and I'll start the next chapter this week! So if you love this story and want more faster CLICK THAT LINK PEOPLE!**


	27. Chapter 27: Reception

**HEY! So after I wrote the last chapter I was just soooo happy I wrote it that I had to continue and write this one the next night I REALLY hope you like it and will review. So read on and enjoy!**

The wedding flowed into the reception party smoothly-proof of Alice's flawless planning. It was just twilight over the river; the ceremony had lasted exactly the right amount of time, allowing the sun to set behind the trees. The lights in the trees glimmered as Edward let me through the glass back doors, making the white flowers glow. There were another ten thousand flowers out here, serving as a fragrant, airy tent over the dance floor set up on the grass under two of the ancient cedars.

Things slowed down, relaxed as the mellow August evening surrounded us. The little crowd spread out under the soft shine of the twinkle lights, and we were greeted again by the friends we'd just embraced. There was time to talk now, to laugh.

"Congrats, guys," Seth Clearwater told us, ducking his head under the edge of a flower garland. His mother, Sue, was tight by his side, eyeing the guests with wary intensity. Her face was thin and fierce, an expression that was accented by her short, severe hairstyle; it was as short as her daughter Leah's-I wondered if she'd cut it the same way in a show of solidarity. Billy Black, on Seth's other side, was not as tense as Sue.

When I looked at Jacob's father, I always felt like I was seeing two people rather than just one. There was the old man in the wheelchair with the lined face and the white smile that everyone else saw. And then there was the direct descendant of a long line of powerful, magical chieftains, cloaked in the authority he'd been born with. Though the magic had-in the absence of a catalyst-skipped his generation, Billy was still a part of the power and the legent. It flowed straight through him. It flowed to his son, the heir to the magic, who had turned his back on it. That had overtaken Sam Uley to act as the chief of legends and magic now...

Billy seemed oddly at ease considering the company and the event-his black eyes sparkled like he'd just gotten some good news. I was impressed by hsi composure. This wedding must have seemed a very bad thing, the worst thing that could happen to his best friend's daughter, in Billy's eyes.

I knew it wasn't easy for him to restrain his feelings, considering the challenge this event foreshadowed to the ancient treaty between the Cullens and the Quileutes-the treaty that prohibited the Cullens from ever creating another vampire. The wolves knew a breach was coming, but the Cullens had no idea how they would react.

As if in response to that thought, Seth leaned toward Edward, arms extended.

Edward returned the hug with his free arm. The other had Nessie snuggled into his chest.

I saw Sue shudder delicately.

"It's good to see things work out for you, man," Seth said. "I'm happy for you."

"Thank you, Seth, That means a lot to me." Edward pulled away from Seth and looked at Sue and Billy. "Thank you, as well. For letting Seth come. For supporting Bella today."

"You're welcome," Billy said in his deep, gravelly voice, and I was surprised at the optimism in his tone. Perhaps a stronger truce was on the horizon.

A bit of a line was forming, so Seth waved goodbye and wheeled Billy toward the food. Sue kept one hand on each of them.

Angela and Ben were the next to claim us, followed by Angela's parents and then Mike and Jessica-who were, to my surprise, holding hands. I hadn't heard that they were together again. That was nice.

All the standard traditions were kept. I was blinded by flashbulbs as we held the knife over a spectacular cake-too grand, I thought, for our relatively intimate group of friends and family. We took turns shoving cake in each other's faces; Edward manfully swallowed his poition as I watched in disbelief. I threw my bouquet with a typical skill, right into Angela's surprised hands. Emmett and Jasper howled with laughter at my blush while Edward removed my borrowed garter-which I'd shimmied down nearly to my ankle-very carefully with his teeth. With a quick wink at me, he shot it straight into Mike Newton's face.

And when the music started, Edward pulled me into his arms for the customary first dance; I went willingly, despite my fear of dancing-especially dancing in fronf of an audience-just happy to have him holding me. He did all the work, and I twirled effortlessly under the glow of a canopy of lights and the bright flashes from the cameras.

"Enjoying the party, Mrs. Cullen?" he whispered in my ear.

I laughed. "That will take a while to get used to."

"We have a while," he reminded me, his voice exultant, and he leaned down to kiss me while we danced. Cameras clicked feverishly. The music changed, and Charlie tapped on Edward's shoulder.

It wasn't nearly as easy to dance with Charlie. He was no better at it than I was, so we moved safely from side to side in a tiny square formation. Edward and Esms spun around us like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

"I'm going to miss you at home, Bella. I'm already lonely."

I spoke through a tight throat, trying to make a joke of it. "I feel just horrible, leaving you to cook for yourself-it's practically criminal negligence. You could arrest me."

He grinned. "I suppose I'll survive the food. Just call me whenever you can. And bring Nessie by as much as you can."

"I promise."

I was honestly very happy with how much he had come around about the whole pregnancy and being a grandpa thing. The first time he held Nessie he was hooked. I had seen it in his eyes.

It seemed like I danced with everyone. It was good to see all my old friends, but I really wanted to be with Edward more than anything else. I was happy when he finally cut in, just half a minute after a new dance started.

"Still not that fond of Mike, eh?" I commented as Edward whirled me away from him.

"Not when I have to listen to his thoughts. He's lucky I didn't kick him out. Or worse."

"Yeah, right."

"Have you had a chance to look at yourself?"

"Um. No, I guess not. Why?"

"Then I suppose you don't realize how utterly, heart-breakingly beautiful you are tonight. I'm not surprised Mike's having difficulty with improper thoguhts about a married woman. I am disappointed that Alice didn't make sure you were forced to look in a mirror."

"You are very biased, you know."

He sighed and then paused and turned me around to face the house. The wall of glass reflected the party back like a long mirror. Edward pointed to the couple in the mirror directly across from us.

"Biased, am I?"

I caught just a glimpse of Edward's reflection-a perfect duplicate of his perfect face-with a dark-haired beauty at his side. Her skin was cream and roses, her eyes were huge with excitement and framed with thick lashes. The narrow sheath of the shimmering white dress flared out subtly at the train almost like an inverted calla lily, cut so skillfully that her body looked elegant and graceful-while it was motionless, at least.

Before I could blink and make the beauty turn back into me, Edward suddenly stiffened and turned automatically in the other direction, as if someone had called his name.

"Oh!" he said, His brow furrowed for an instant and then smoothed out just as quickly.

Suddenly, he was smiling a brilliant smile.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Someone else wants a dance with the bride."

"Huh?"

He didn't answer; he just started dancing again, spinning me the opposite way we'd been headed before, away from the lights and then into the deep swath of night that ringed the luminous dance floor.

He didn't pause until we reached the other side of the dance floor. Then Edward looked straight behind me.

"Thank you," Edward said to someone behind me. "This is very...kind of you."

"Kind is my middle name," a husky familiar voice answered from the black night. "Can I cut in?"

"Of course. Besides, Rosalie won't forgive me if she doesn't get her official turn on the dance floor," Edward murmured, and I knew he was leaving us, giving me a gift of his own-a moment with Jacob.

Jacob pulled back a little bit and straightened up. He left one hand on the small of my back and grabbed my right hand with the other. He cradled our hands to his chest; I could feel his heartbeat under my palm, and I guessed that he hadn't placed my hand there accidentally.

"I don't know if I get more than just this one dance," he said, and he began pulling me around in a slow circle that didn't match the tempo of the music coming from behind us. "I'd better make the best of it."

We moved to the rhythm of his heart under my hand.

My eyes were adjusting, and I could see his face now, higher up than I expected. Was it possible he'd grown in the last week? He had to be closer to seven feet than to six. It was a relief to see his familiar features again after all this time-his deepset eyes shadowed under his shaggy black brows, his high cheekbones, his full lips stretched over hsi bright teeth in the sarcastic smile that matched his tone.

I'd never done anything good enough to deserve a friend like Jacob.

Suddenly a thought occured to me.

"Hey where's Leah?" I asked looking around.

"Don't worry, she's over doting over your daughter. She can't wait to have our baby." he said with a smile.

"You're excited too, I can tell." I said noticing the pure bliss in his eyes.

He smiled and looked down for a second before looking me in the eyes again.

"I think I am. I mean, raising a kid while I'm finishing up my senior year isn't exactly the way I planned it, but we're so connected we know we can make it work." he said looking at Leah.

I glanced over to see her blow him a kiss.

We revolved steadily.

"It would have been a shame to miss seeing you like this, though. You look unbelievable, Bella. So beautiful."

"Alice invested a lot of time in me today. The dark helps, too."

"It's not so dark for me, you know."

"Right." Werewolf senses. It was easy to forget all the things he could do, he seemed so human. Especially right now.

"You cut your hair," I noted.

"Yeah. Easier, you know. Thought I'd better take advantage of the hands."

"It looks good," I lied.

He snorted. "Right. I did it myself, with rusty kitchen shears. Leah almost killed me when she walked in and saw it." He grinned widely for a moment, and then his smile faded. His expression turned serious.

"I'm glad I came," Jacob said quietly after a moment. "It's good to see you so happy. I wanted to make sure Edward could make you happy and now I see he will, for the rest of your days."

I knew he said that last part on purpose.

"And you're...happy?"

He smiled before replying. "Yeah, But enough about me. You're the star today." He chuckled. "I bet you're just loving that. Center of attention."

"Yeah. Can't get enough attention."

He laughed and then stared over my head. With pursed lips, he studied the shimmering glow of the reception party, the graceful whirl of the dancers, the fluttering petals falling from the garlands; I looked with him. It all seemed very distant from this black, quiet space. Almost like watching the white flurries swirling inside a snow globe.

"I'll give them this much," he said. "They know how to throw a party."

"Alice is an unstoppable force of nature."

He sighed. "Song's over. Do you think I get another one? Or is that asking too much?"

I tightened my hand around his. "You can have as many dances as you want."

He laughed. "That would be interesting. I think I'd better stick with two, though. Don't want to start talk."

We turned in another circle.

"I'm going to try to remember you like this. Pretend that..."

"That what? That I died?"

"No," he finally answered. "But I'll see you this way in my head. Pink cheeks. Heartbeat. Two left feet. All of that."

I deliberately stomped on his foot as hard as I could.

He smiled. "That's my girl."

He started to say something else and then snapped his mouth closed. Struggling again, teeth gritted against the words he didn't want to say.

"What is it, Jake? Just tell me. You can tell me anything."

"I-I...don't have anything to tell you."

"Oh please. Spit it out."

"It's true. It's not... it's-it's a question. It's something I want you to tell me."

"Ask me."

He struggled for another minure and then exhaled. "I shouldn't. It doesn't matter. I'm just morbidly curious."

Because I knew him so well, I understood.

"It's not tonight, Jacob," I whispered.

"Oh," he said, trying to smother his relief. "Oh."

A new song started playing, but he didn't notice the change this time.

"When?" he whispered.

"I don't know for sure. A week or two, maybe."

His voice changed, took on a defensive, mocking edge. "What's the holdup?"

"I just didn't want to spend my honeymoon writhing in pain."

"You'd rather spend it how? Playing checkers? Ha ha."

"Very funny."

"Kidding, Bells. But, honestly, I don't see the point. You can't have a real honeymoon with your vampire, so why go through the motions? Call a spade a spade. This isn't the first time you've put this off. That's a good thing, though," he said, suddenly earnest. "Don't be embarrassed about it."

"I'm not putting anything off," I snapped. "And yes I can have a real honeymoon! I can do anything I want! Butt out!"

He stopped our slow circling abruptly. For a moment, I wondered if he'd finally noticed the music change. Then his eyes bulged wide with a strange kind of confused horror.

"What?" he gasped. "What did you say?"

"About what...? Jake? What's wrong?"

"What do you mean? Have a real honeymoon? While you're still human? Are you kidding? That's a sick joke, Bella!"

I glared at him. "I said butt out, Jake. This is so not your business. I shouldn't have...we shouldn't even be talking about this. It's private-"

He looked up and got a look on his face. I could tell he was thinking hard about something.

"You know what? You're right. That is privtate, and you guys already have Nessie-which I don't need to know too much about her creation." he said the last smirking.

"Good, cause I don't give out those kind of details." I said smiling.

"I'm sorry Bella, that was completely out of line." he apologized.

"It's ok. I understand. The ancient rivalry is hard to overcome, even for a few hours." I said smiling.

"May I have my bride back?" I heard Edward's velvet voice ask behind me.

"If you must." Jacob said as Leah walked up behind him.

"I must. Besides, I think someone else would like to dance with you." Edward said smiling at Leah.

He put his arms around me and let me back to the light. When we passed under the twinkle lights, he spun me gently onto the dance floor. We melted in with the other dancers as if our dance had never been interrupted.

I melted into Edward's chest as he spun me around during the slow song playing.

I took deep breaths and smiled. "By the way, I love you." I whispered into his chest.

I felt him kiss my head and felt his lips turn into a smile before he replied. "That's why we're here."

"You're monopolizing the bride," Emmett said, coming up behind Edward's shoulder. "Let me dance with my little sister. This could be my last chance to make her blush." He laughed loudly, as unaffected as he usually was by any serious atmosphere.

It turned out there were actually lots of people I hadn't danced with yet, and that gave me a chance to truly compose and resolve myself. After dancing with Jasper and Carlisle, Edward claimed me again. As he wrapped his arms around me, I was able to continue in my sense of joy, my certainty that everything in my life was in the right place tonight. I smiled and laid my head against his chest again. His arms tightened.

"I could get used to this," I said.

"Don't tell me you've gotten over your dancing issues?"

"Dancing isn't so bad-with you. But I was thinking more of this,"-and I pressed myself into him even tighter-"of never having to let you go."

"Never," he promised, and he leaned down to kiss me.

It was a serious kind of kiss-intense, slow but building...

I'd pretty much forgotten where I was when I heard Alice call, "Bella! It's time!"

I felt a brief flicker of irritation with my new sister for the interruption.

Edward ignored her; his lips were hard against mine, more urgent than before.

My heart broke into a sprint and my palms were slick against his marble neck.

"Do you want to miss your plane?" Alice demanded, right next to me now. "I'm sure you'll have a lovely honeymoon camped out in the airport waiting for another flight."

Edward turned his face slightly to murmut, "Go away, Alice," and then pressed his lips to mine again.

"Bella, do you want to wear that dress on the airplane?" she demanded.

I wasn't really paying much attention. At the moment, I simply didn't care.

Alice growled quietly. "I'll tell her where you're taking her, Edward. So help me, I will."

He froze. Then he lifted his face from mine and glared at his favorite sister.

"You're awfully small to be so hugely irritating."

"I didn't pick out the perfect going-away dress to have it wasted," she snapped back, taking my hand. "Come with me, Bella."

I tugged against her hold, stretching up on my toes to kiss him one more time.

She jerked my arm impatiently, hauling me away from him. There were a few chuckles from the watching guests. I gave up then and let her lead me into the empty house.

She looked annoyed.

"Sorry, Alice," I apologized.

"I don't blame you, Bella." she sighed. "You don't seem to be able to help yourself." I giggled at her martyred expression, and she scowled.

"Thank you, Alice. It was the most beautiful wedding anyone ever had," I told her earnestly. "Everything was exactly right." You're the best, smartest, most talented sister in the whole world."

That thawed her out; she smiled a huge smile. "I'm glad you liked it." Renee and Esme were waiting upstairs with Nessie. The three of them quickly had me out of my dress and into Alice's deep blue going-away ensemble. I was grateful when someone pulled the pins out of my hair and let it fall loose down my back, wavy from the braids, saving me from a hairpin headache later. My mother's tears streamed without a break the entire time.

"I'll call you when I know where I'm going," I promised as I hugged her goodbye. I knew the honeymoon secret was probably driving her crazy; my mother hated secrets, unless she was in on them.

"I'll tell you as soon as she's safely away," Alice outdid me, smirking at my wounded expression. How unfair, for me to be the last to know.

"You have to visit me and Phil very, very soon. It's your turn to go south-see the sun for once," Renee said.

"It didn't rain today," I reminded her, avoiding her request.

"A miracle."

"Everything's ready," Alice said. "Your suitcases are in the car-Jasper's bringing it around."

At this I grabbed Nessie, hugging her tightly and kissing her numerous times. This was going to be the hard part, being away from her for a whole month. I carried her out of the room for Edward to give her his goodbye hugs and kisses before we left.

Edward was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. I handed Nessie to him as I turned to my mom.

"I love you, Mom," I whispered as we embraced. "I'm so glad you have Phil. Take care of each other."

"I love you, too, Bella, honey."

"Goodbye, Mom. I love you," I said again, my throat thick.

I saw Edward hand Nessie to Rosalie before turning to me. I took his outstretched hand but leaned away, scanning the little crowd that was waiting to see us off.

"Dad?" I asked, my eyes searching.

"Over here," Edward murmured. He pulled me through the guests; they made a pathway for us. We found Charlie leaning awkwardly against the wall behind everyone else, looking a little like he was hiding. The red rims around his eyes explained why.

"Oh, Dad!"

I hugged him around the waist, tears streaming again-I was crying so much tonight. He patted my back.

"There, now. You don't want to miss yoru plane."

It was hard to talk about love with Charlie-we were so much alike, always reverting to trivial things to avoid embarrassing emotional displays. But this was no time for being self-conscious.

"I love you forever, Dad," I told him. "Don't forget that."

"You, too, Bells. Always have, always will."

I kissed his cheek at the same time that he kissed mine.

"Call me," he said.

"Soon," I promised, knowing this was all I could promise. Just a phone call. My father and my mother could not be allowed to see me again; I would be too different, and much, much too dangerous.

"Go on, then," he said gruffly. "Don't want to be late."

The guests made another aisle for us. Edward pulled me close to his side as we made our escape.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"I am," I said, and I knew that it was true.

Everyone applauded when Edward kissed me on the doorstep. Then he rushed me to the car as the rice storm began. Most of it went wide, but someone, probably Emmett, threw with uncanny precision, and I caught a lot of the ricochets off Edward's back.

The car wad decorated with more flowers that trailed in streamers along its length, and long gossamer ribbons that were tied to a dozen shoes-designer shoes that looked brand-new-dangling behind the bumper.

Edward shielded me from the rice while I climbed in, and then he was in and we were speeding away as I waved out the window and called "I love you" to the porch, where my families waved back.

The last image I registered was one of my parents. Phil had both arms wrapped tenderly around Renee. She had one arm tight around his waist but had her free hand reached out to hold Charlie's. So many different kinds of love, harmonious in this one moment. It seemed a very hopeful picture to me.

Edward squeezed my hand.

"I love you," he said.

I leaned my head against his arm. "That's why we're here," I quoted him.

He kissed my hair.

As we turned onto the black highway and Edward really hit the accelerator, I leaned into his shoulder, still reveling in the pure bliss and happiness I was feeling from this day.

**SOOOO? What do you think? If you loved it, or even hated it, push that button and let me know. I promise I'll be working on the next chapter some this week and some next week and should have it up soon. Until then PUSH THAT BUTTON PEOPLE!**


	28. Chapter 28: Honeymoon

**AN: Ok, first off I am SOOOOO sorry I took so long to update. I just haven't had the motivation to write til today. But I'm updating now YAY! So this is obviously the honeymoon chapter BUT...there's a nice little twist in the end that I think you all will like! :) So read on and enjoy please!**

"Houston?" I asked, raising my eyebrows when we reached the gate in Seattle.

"Just a stop along the way," Edward assured me with a grin.

It felt like I'd barely fallen asleep when he woke me. I was groggy as he pulled me through the terminals, struggling to remember how to open my eyes after every blink. It took me a few minutes to catch up with what was going on when we stopped at the international counter to check in for our next flight.

"Rio de Janeiro?" I asked with slightly more trepidation.

"Another stop," he told me.

The flight to South America was long but comfortable in the wide first-class seat, with Edward's arms cradled around me. I slept myself out and awoke unusually alert as we circled toward the airport with the light of the setting sun slanting through the plane's windows.

We didn't stay in the airport to connect with another flight as I'd expected. Instead we took a taxi through the dark, teeming, living streets of Rio. Unable to understand a work of Edward's Portuguese instructions to the driver, I guessed that we were off to find a hotel before the next leg of our journey. A shart twinge of something very close to stage fright twisted in the pit of my stomach as I considered that. The taxi continued through the swarming crowds until they thinned somewhat, and we appeared to be nearing the extreme western edge of the city, heading into the ocean.

We stopped at the docks.

Edward led the way down the long line of white yachts moored in the night blackened water. The boat he stopped at was smaller than the others, sleeker, obviously built for speed instead of space. Still luxurious, though, and more graceful than the rest. He leaped in lightly, despite the heavy bags he carried. He dropped those on the deck and turned to help me carefully over the edge.

I watched in silence while he prepared the boat for departure, surprised at how skilled and comfortable he seemed, because he'd never mentioned an interest in boating before. But then again, he was good at just about everything.

As we headed due east into the open ocean, I reviewed basic geography in my head. As far as I could remember, there wasn't much east of Brazil...until you got to Africa.

But Edward sped forward while the lights of Rio faded and ultimately disappeared behind us. On his face was a familiar exhilarated smile, the one produced by any form of speed. The boat plunged through the waves and I was showered with sea spray.

Finally the curiosity I'd suppressed so long got the best of me.

"Are we going much farther?" I asked.

It wasn't like him to forget that I was human, but I wondered if he planned for us to live on this small craft for any length of time.

"About another half hour." His eyes took in my hands, clenched on the seat, and he grinned.

Oh well, I thought to myself. He was a vampire, after all. Maybe we were going to Atlantis.

Twenty minutes later, he called my name over the roar of the engine.

"Bella, look there." He pointed straight ahead.

I saw only blackness at first, and the moon's white trail across the water. But I searched the space where he pointed until I found a low black shape breaking into the sheen of moonlight on the waves. As I squinted into the darkness, the silhouette became more detailed. The shape grew into a squat, irregular triangle, with one side trailing longer than the other before sinking into the waves. We drew closer, and I could see the outline was feathery, swaying to the light breeze.

And then my eyes refocused and the pieces all made sense: a small island rose out of the water ahead of us, waving with palm fronds, a beach glowing pale in the light of the moon.

"Where are we?" I murmured in wonder while he shifted course, heading around to the north end of the island.

He heard me, despite the noise of the engine, and smiled a wide smile that gleamed in the moonlight.

"This is Isle Esme."

The boat slowed dramatically, drawing with precision into position against a short dock constructed of wooden planks, bleached into whiteness by the moon.

The engine cut off, and the silence that followed was profound. There was nothing but the waves, slapping lightly against the boat, and the rustle of the breeze in the palms. The air was warm, moist, and fragrant—like the steam left behind after a hot shower.

"Isle Esme?" My voice was low, but it still sounded too loud as it broke into the quiet night.

"A gift from Carlisle—Esme offered to let us borrow it."

A gift. Who gives an island as a gift? I frowned. I hadn't realized that Edward's extreme generosity was a learned behavior.

He placed the suitcases on the dock and then turned back, smiling his perfect smile as he reached for me. Instead of taking my hand, he pulled me right up into his arms.

"Aren't you supposed to wait for the threshold?" I asked, breathless, as he sprung lightly out of the boat.

He grinned. "I'm nothing if not thorough."

Gripping the handles of both huge steamer trunks in one hand and cradling me in the other arm, he carried me up the dock and onto a pale sand pathway through the dark vegetation.

For a short while it was pitch black in the jungle-like growth, and then I could see a warm light ahead. It was about at the point when I realized the light was a house—the two bright, perfect squares were wide windows framing a front door— that the stage fright attacked again, more forcefully than before, worse than when I'd thought we were headed for a hotel.

My heart thudded audibly against my ribs, and my breath seemed to get stuck in my throat. I felt Edward's eyes on my face, but I refused to meet his gaze. I stared straight ahead, seeing nothing.

He didn't ask what I was thinking, which was out of character for him. I guessed that meant that he was just as nervous as I suddenly was.

He set the suitcases on the deep porch to open the doors—they were unlocked. Edward looked down at me, waiting until I met his gaze before he stepped through the threshold.

He carried me through the house, both of us very quiet, flipping on lights as he went. My vague impression of the house was that it was quite large for a tiny island, and oddly familiar. I'd gotten used to the pale-on-pale color scheme preferred by the Cullens; it felt like home. I couldn't focus on any specifics, though. The violent pulse beating behind my ears made everything a little blurry.

Then Edward stopped and turned on the last light.

The room was big and white, and the far wall was mostly glass—standard décor for my vampires. Outside, the moon was bright on white sand and, just a few yards away from the house, glistening waves. But I barely noted that part. I was more focused on the absolutely huge white bed in the center of the room, hung with billowy clouds of mosquito netting.

Edward set me on my feet.

"I'll… go get the luggage."

While he was out getting the luggage I took a minute to call Esme and check on Nessie. When I called she was asleep but Esme had just fed, changed, and bathed her so it sounded like she was down for the night. I told Esme to give Nessie hugs and kisses from both of us before hanging up.

I had promised Edward that while we were on our honeymoon, as much as we both loved and adored Nessie, this time was about US, so I was only allowed to call and check on her when we got there. After that Esme would contact US if anything was wrong. It's not that Edward and I didn't care, but he wanted me to relax and forget about all our everyday worries and cares while we were here.

The room was too warm, stuffier than the tropical night outside. A bead of sweat dewed up on the nape of my neck. I walked slowly forward until I could reach out and touch the foamy netting. For some reason I felt the need to make sure everything was real.

I didn't hear Edward return. Suddenly, his wintry finger caressed the back of my neck, wiping away the drop of perspiration.

"It's a little hot here," he said apologetically. "I thought… that would be best."

"Thorough," I murmured under my breath, and he chuckled. It was a nervous sound, rare for Edward.

"I tried to think of everything that would make this… easier," he admitted.

I swallowed loudly, still facing away from him. Had there ever been a honeymoon like this before?

I knew the answer to that. No. There had not.

"I was wondering," Edward said slowly, "if… first… maybe you'd like to take a midnight swim with me?" He took a deep breath, and his voice was more at ease when he spoke again. "The water will be very warm. This is the kind of beach you approve of."

"Sounds nice." My voice broke.

"I'm sure you'd like a human minute or two.… It was a long journey."

I nodded woodenly. I felt barely human; maybe a few minutes alone would help.

His lips brushed against my throat, just below my ear. He chuckled once and his cool breath tickled my overheated skin. "Don't take too long, Mrs. Cullen."

I jumped a little at the sound of my new name.

His lips brushed down my neck to the tip of my shoulder. "I'll wait for you in the water."

He walked past me to the French door that opened right onto the beach sand. On the way, he shrugged out of his shirt, dropping it on the floor, and then slipped through the door into the moonlit night. The sultry, salty air swirled into the room behind him.

Did my skin burst into flames? I had to look down to check. Nope, nothing was burning. At least, not visibly.

I reminded myself to breathe, and then I stumbled toward the giant suitcase that Edward had opened on top of a low white dresser. It must be mine, because my familiar bag of toiletries was right on top, and there was a lot of pink in there, but I didn't recognize even one article of clothing. As I pawed through the neatly folded piles—looking for something familiar and comfortable, a pair of old sweats maybe—it came to my attention that there was an awful lot of sheer lace and skimpy satin in my hands. Lingerie. Very lingerie-ish lingerie, with French tags.

I didn't know how or when, but someday, Alice was going to pay for this. Giving up, I went to the bathroom and peeked out through the long windows that opened to the same beach as the French doors. I couldn't see him; I guessed he was there in the water, not bothering to come up for air. In the sky above, the moon was lopsided, almost full, and the sand was bright white under its shine. A small movement caught my eye—draped over a bend in one of the palm trees that fringed the beach, the rest of his clothes were swaying in the light breeze.

A rush of heat flashed across my skin again.

I took a couple of deep breaths and then went to the mirrors above the long stretch of counters. I looked exactly like I'd been sleeping on a plane all day. I found my brush and yanked it harshly through the snarls on the back of my neck until they were smoothed out and the bristles were full of hair. I brushed my teeth meticulously, twice. Then I washed my face and splashed water on the back of my neck, which was feeling feverish. That felt so good that I washed my arms as well, and finally I decided to just give up and take the shower. I knew it was ridiculous to shower before swimming, but I needed to calm down, and hot water was one reliable way to do that.

Also, shaving my legs again seemed like a pretty good idea.

When I was done, I grabbed a huge white towel off the counter and wrapped it under my arms.

Then I was faced with a dilemma I hadn't considered. What was I supposed to put on? Not a swimsuit, obviously. But it seemed silly to put my clothes back on, too. I didn't even want to think about the things Alice had packed for me.

My breathing started to accelerate again and my hands trembled—so much for the calming effects of the shower. I started to feel a little dizzy, apparently a fullscale panic attack on the way. I sat down on the cool tile floor in my big towel and put my head between my knees.

I was freaking out because I had no idea how to do this, and I was afraid to walk out of this room and face the unknown. Especially in French lingerie. I knew I wasn't ready for that yet.

This felt exactly like having to walk out in front of a theater full of thousands with no idea what my lines were.

How did people do this—swallow all their fears and trust someone else so implicitly with every imperfection and fear they had—with less than the absolute commitment Edward had given me? If it weren't Edward out there, if I didn't know in every cell of my body that he loved me as much as I loved him— unconditionally and irrevocably and, to be honest, irrationally—I'd never be able to get up off this floor.

But it was Edward out there, so I whispered the words "Don't be a coward" under my breath and scrambled to my feet. I hitched the towel tighter under my arms and marched determinedly from the bathroom. Past the suitcase full of lace and the big bed without looking at either. Out the open glass door onto the powder fine sand.

Everything was black-and-white, leached colorless by the moon. I walked slowly across the warm powder, pausing beside the curved tree where he had left his clothes. I laid my hand against the rough bark and checked my breathing to make sure it was even. Or even enough.

I looked across the low ripples, black in the darkness, searching for him.

He wasn't hard to find. He stood, his back to me, waist deep in the midnight water, staring up at the oval moon. The pallid light of the moon turned his skin a perfect white, like the sand, like the moon itself, and made his wet hair black as the ocean. He was motionless, his hands resting palms down against the water; the low waves broke around him as if he were a stone. I stared at the smooth lines of his back, his shoulders, his arms, his neck, the flawless shape of him.…

The fire was no longer a flash burn across my skin—it was slow and deep now; it smoldered away all my awkwardness, my shy uncertainty. I slipped the towel off without hesitation, leaving it on the tree with his clothes, and walked out into the white light; it made me pale as the snowy sand, too.

I couldn't hear the sound of my footsteps as I walked to the water's edge, but I guessed that he could. Edward did not turn. I let the gentle swells break over my toes, and found that he'd been right about the temperature—it was very warm, like bath water. I stepped in, walking carefully across the invisible ocean floor, but my care was unnecessary; the sand continued perfectly smooth, sloping gently toward Edward. I waded through the weightless current till I was at his side, and then I placed my hand lightly over his cool hand lying on the water.

"Beautiful," I said, looking up at the moon, too.

"It's all right," he answered, unimpressed. He turned slowly to face me; little waves rolled away from his movement and broke against my skin. His eyes looked silver in his ice-colored face. He twisted his hand up so that he could twine our fingers beneath the surface of the water. It was warm enough that his cool skin did not raise goose bumps on mine.

"But I wouldn't use the word beautiful," he continued. "Not with you standing here in comparison."

I half-smiled, then raised my free hand—it didn't tremble now—and placed it over his heart. White on white; we matched, for once. He shuddered the tiniest bit at my warm touch. His breath came rougher now.

"I've been waiting for this since I've come home," he whispered, suddenly tense. "I… I've honestly been wanting this...wanting you...for a long time now, Mrs. Cullen." he said my new name with a smile on his face.

I smiled, happy I wasn't alone in my feelings. Happy that this moment had finally come. I nodded solemnly, keeping my eyes on his. I took another step through the waves and leaned my head against his chest.

"I feel the same Mr. Cullen," I murmured. "We belong together."

I was abruptly overwhelmed by the truth of my own words. This moment was so perfect, so right, there was no way to doubt it.

His arms wrapped around me, holding me against him, summer and winter. It felt like every nerve ending in my body was a live wire.

"Forever," he agreed, and then pulled us gently into deeper water.

*******************************************************************************************************************

The sun, hot on the bare skin of my back, woke me in the morning. Late morning, maybe afternoon, I wasn't sure. Everything besides the time was clear, though; I knew exactly where I was—the bright room with the big white bed, brilliant sunlight streaming through the open doors. The clouds of netting would soften the shine.

I didn't open my eyes. I was too happy to change anything, no matter how small.

The only sounds were the waves outside, our breathing, my heartbeat.…

I rolled over to cuddle with my husband...man I love even THINKING that...but he wasn't there.

I sat up to see a note on his pillow reading "Making you breakfast, if you wake up before I am back come into the kitchen."

I smiled at the words, at how sweet my husband is.

I put the note down and realized the bed was covered in some kind of fluffy white snow that also clung to my skin. I shook my head, and a cascade of white drifted out of my hair.

I pinched one soft white bit between my fingers. It was a piece of down.

I suddenly realized that I was covered in feathers. Before I was able to really wonder why I and the bed were covered in feathers I suddenly heard something sizzle in the other room.

I walked over to the suitcase and found the longest robe I could, which was only down to my mid thigh (thank you Alice), before heading to the source of the sound.

I padded off barefoot to where the smell of eggs and bacon and cheddar cheese was coming from.

Edward stood in front of the stainless steel stove, sliding an omelet onto the light blue plate waiting on the counter. The scent of the food overwhelmed me. I felt like I could eat the plate and the frying pan, too; my stomach snarled.

He must have heard my stomach because he suddenly turned around and saw me. I couldn't help but notice that as soon as he saw me his face lit up like a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve.

"Hello, my love." he said as I walked over to him.

"Good morning Mr. Cullen." I responded with a smile.

He gave me a half-hug and kissed my forehead while shifting the eggs in the hot skillet.

After he kissed me he had to turn back to the food to make sure it didn't burn.

I didn't mind though, I simply hugged him from behind, placing my cheek on his back.

"Food's ready. Go sit down, I'll bring it to you." he said.

I nodded into his back before going to sit at the island.

After a few minutes he turned with a smile on his face and set the plate on a small tiled table.

I sat in one of the two metal chairs and started snarfing down the hot eggs. They burned my throat, but I didn't care.

He sat down across from me. "I'm not feeding you often enough."

I swallowed and then reminded him, "I was asleep. This is really good, by the way. Impressive for someone who doesn't eat."

"Food Network," he said, flashing my favorite crooked smile.

I was happy to see it, happy that he, like myself, was completely relaxed and happy in this moment.

"Where did the eggs come from?"

"I asked the cleaning crew to stock the kitchen. A first, for this place." he simply replied taking a drink of his coffee.

"Speaking of the cleaning crew," I said reaching into my hair and pulling out a feather, "Why am I covered in feathers?" I asked, confused.

He suddenly got an impish look on his face and looked like a 5 year old who had gotten caught doing something bad. "I might have bit a pillow. Or two. Last night."

"You… bit a pillow? Why?"

"Well Bella, MOST couples, while in the throes of romance, bite or nip at their partners neck. And I couldn't exactly do that last night now could I?" he asked.

I turned slightly red at the thought, honestly proud of the fact that I had that kind of affect on him.

"Speaking of last night," I said moving out of my seat and into Edward's lap, "Was it anything compared to our last time?" I asked nervous.

I was honestly worried he didn't enjoy himself last night. I was so tired from the jet lag and our lovemaking that I had fallen asleep very shortly after.

He sat and thought about it a moment before shaking his head.

"No, it wasn't." he said before taking a drink of his coffee.

I started to feel the lump in my throat start to form. I was a dissappointment.

He must have seen this because he suddenly stopped drinking his coffee and raised my chin so I was eye to eye with him.

"It was more, so much more. It was the best night of my entire existence. It was...everything. There aren't words to describe how amazing last night was for me baby." he said before kissing me passionately.

With that one kiss I knew he was telling the truth.

He pulled away looking nervous.

"And...for you? Was last night pleasurable as well."

I sat there for a moment pretending to think, knowing I was teasing him.

"Well..." I said starting to smirk.

He saw the smirk and knew I was just messing with him.

"It was the most amazing night of my life Edward. It was a night I will never forget, even after you change me." I said hugging him.

I pulled back quickly as a thought had just crossed my mind.

"You ARE still going to change me right?" I asked.

He smiled and laughed slightly before looking me square in the eyes.

"Of course I will Bella. As soon as we get home." he promised.

He then smiled and looked up above my eyes before reaching for one of the feathers in my hair.

"I'll have to ask the cleaning crew to deal with the feathers.… " he said looking at it and twirling it between his thumb and index finger.

"So, why exactly did you decide to ruin Esme's pillows?" I asked, sitting up and shaking more down from my hair.

"I don't know if I decided to do anything last night," he muttered through his smile. "We're just lucky it was the pillows and not you."

"So what do we do now?" I asked, not wanting to get up but knowing we needed to.

"Well first why don't we go get dressed?" he asked as he grabbed his cup.

I nodded, getting up and taking my plate into the sink.

We went back into the bedroom to get dressed after that.

I had to search though ALOT of lingerie, much to Edward's delight, just to get to the casual clothes Alice had allowed me to pack.

I pulled out one of my camisole tops and a pair of jean shorts as well as clean underwear before going to sit on the bed to get dressed.

As I turned around I saw Edward had already pulled on a pair of loose khaki pants and a plain white t-shirt. He then stood up, rumpling his hair, dislodging a few feathers of his own.

After I got dressed I walked over to the mirror to look at my own hair, and groaned.

"Bella?" He was right there behind me as soon as I'd made a sound.

"I'll never get this all out of my hair!" I pointed to my head, where it looked like a chicken was nesting. I started picking at the feathers.

"You would be worried about your hair," he mumbled, but he came to stand behind me, pulling out the feathers much more quickly.

"How did you keep from laughing at this? I look ridiculous."

He didn't answer; he just kept plucking with a smug grin on his face.

"This isn't going to work," I sighed after a minute. "It's all dried in. I'm going to have to try to wash it out." I turned around, wrapping my arms around his cool waist. "Do you want to help me?"

He just smiled before picking me up bridal style and carrying me into the bathroom.

*******************************************************************************************************************  
When I was mostly feather-free and we were both dressed again we then planned our day.

Many of our days were packed with things to do.

We snorkeled (well, I snorkeled while he flaunted his ability to go without oxygen indefinitely).

We explored the small jungle that ringed the rocky little peak.

We visited the parrots that lived in the canopy on the south end of the island.

We watched the sunset from the rocky western cove.

We swam with the porpoises that played in the warm, shallow waters there. Or at least I did; when Edward was in the water, the porpoises disappeared as if a shark was near.

We spent days exploring coral reefs and submerged caves, swimming with sea turtles

We also spent days lounging around watching DVDs on the big-screen plasma TV, taking breaks for food and pleasure. 

On days when it seemed we were going, going, going all day, I found myself so completely famished and exhausted when the sun eventually set, I drooped over my plate after I finished dinner at night.

Once I'd actually fallen asleep right at the table and he'd had to carry me to bed. Part of it was that Edward always made too much food for one, but I was so hungry after swimming and climbing all day that I ate most of it. Then, full and worn out, I could barely keep my eyes open.

About a week or so after we'd gotten to the island, I decided to give his eyes a little satisfaction, as well as the rest of him.

We were sleeping in the blue room now. The cleaning crew wasn't due until the next day, and so the white room still had a snowy blanket of down. The blue room was smaller, the bed more reasonably proportioned. The walls were dark, paneled in teak, and the fittings were all luxurious blue silk.

I'd taken to wearing some of Alice's lingerie collection to sleep in at night—which weren't so revealing compared to the scanty bikinis she'd packed for me when it came right down to it. I wondered if she'd seen a vision of why I would want such things, and then shuddered, embarrassed by that thought.

I'd started out slow with innocent ivory satins, but tonight I pulled out one of the scarier pieces as I got ready in the paneled bathroom. It was black, lacy, and embarrassing to look at even when it wasn't on. I was careful not to look in the mirror before I went back to the bedroom. I didn't want to lose my nerve.

I had the satisfaction of watching his eyes pop open wide for just a second before he controlled his expression.

"What do you think?" I asked, pirouetting so that he could see every angle.

He cleared his throat before climbing out of bed and coming to me, putting his hands on my hips, pulling me towards him.

"You're breathtaking, absolutely gorgeous." he said against my lips before capturing them in a passionate kiss.

I eagerly wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me up and carried me to the bed. He gently laid me down before climbing on top of me and kissing me again, starting another long and passionate night for us.

The next morning I woke up with a start, sitting up but as I moved, an odd wave of vertigo hit. I swayed and fell back against the pillows.

"Whoa… head rush."

I heard him laugh as he gently pulled me to his chest. I looked around to check on the pillows, which had become a standing joke between the two of us.

"The pillows all appear to have survived." I said jokingly.

"Unfortunately, I can't say the same for your, er, nightgown." He nodded toward the foot of the bed, where several scraps of black lace were strewn across the silk sheets.

"That's too bad," I said. "I liked that one."

"I did, too."

"Were there any other casualties?" I asked timidly.

"I'll have to buy Esme a new bed frame," he confessed, glancing over his shoulder.

I followed his gaze and was shocked to see that large chunks of wood had apparently been gouged from the left side of the headboard.

"Hmm." I frowned. "You'd think I would have heard that."

"You seem to be extraordinarily unobservant when your attention is otherwise involved."

"I was a bit absorbed," I admitted, blushing a deep red.

He touched my burning cheek and sighed. "I'm really going to miss that."

Suddenly my stomach growled, and he laughed. "Breakfast time for the human?" he asked. 

"Please," I said, hopping out of bed. I moved too quickly, though, and had to stagger drunkenly to regain my balance. He caught me before I could stumble into the dresser.

"Are you all right?"

"If I don't have a better sense of equilibrium in my next life, I'm demanding a refund."

I cooked this morning, frying up some eggs—too hungry to do anything more elaborate. Impatient, I flipped them onto a plate after just a few minutes.

"Since when do you eat eggs sunny-side up?" he asked.

"Since now."

"Do you know how many eggs you've gone through in the last week?" He pulled the trash bin out from under the sink—it was full of empty blue cartons.

"Weird," I said after swallowing a scorching bite. "This place is messing with my appetite." And my dreams, and my already dubious balance. "But I like it here. So what are we doing today?" I asked. 

"Can you hold on to that thought? I hear a boat. The cleaning crew must be here. Let me explain the mess in the white room to Gustavo, and then we can go out. There's a place in the jungle on the south—"

"You know, actually, I don't want to go out. I am not hiking all over the island today. I want to stay here and watch a movie."

He pursed his lips, trying not to laugh at my disgruntled tone. "All right, whatever you'd like. Why don't you pick one out while I get the door?"

"I didn't hear a knock."

He cocked his head to the side, listening. A half second later, a faint, timid rap on the door sounded. He grinned and turned for the hallway.

I wandered over to the shelves under the big TV and started scanning through the titles. It was hard to decide where to begin. They had more DVDs than a rental store.

I had finally decided on "Remember Me" just as I heard Edward walk back into the room.

"Will we move back into the white room now?" I wondered idly as I walked over to join him on the couch.

"I don't know.… I've already mangled the headboard in the other room beyond repair—maybe if we limit the destruction to one area of the house, Esme might invite us back someday."

"Did you want to go survey the demolition zone now?" I asked, knowing he would know what I was asking for.

"Maybe it would be more polite to wait until we're alone. You may not notice me tearing the furniture apart, but it would probably scare them."

In truth, I'd already forgotten the people in the other room. "Right. Drat." I said settling into his chest.

I heard him chuckle as he kissed my head and wrapped his arms around me.

I was starting to get sleepy—though, according to Edward, I'd slept half the day—when a rough voice startled me. Edward sat up, keeping me cradled against him, and answered Gustavo in flowing Portuguese. Gustavo nodded and walked quietly toward the front door.

"They're finished," Edward told me.

"So that would mean that we're alone now?"

"How about lunch first?" he suggested.

I bit my lip, torn by the dilemma. I was pretty hungry.

With a smile, he took my hand and led me to the kitchen. He knew my face so well, it didn't matter that he couldn't read my mind.

"This is getting out of hand," I complained when I finally felt full.

"Do you want to swim with the dolphins this afternoon—burn off the calories?" he asked.

"Maybe later. I had another idea for burning calories."

"And what was that?"

"Well, there's an awful lot of headboard left—"

But I didn't finish. He'd already swept me up into his arms, and his lips silenced mine as he carried me with inhuman speed to the blue room.

Later that night something make me wake up from my dreams. I jolted upright, shocked out of the dream.

The room was black. It was also steamy hot. Sweat matted my hair at the temples and rolled down my throat.

I groped the warm sheets and found them empty.

"Edward?"

Just then, my fingers encountered something smooth and flat and stiff. One sheet of paper, folded in half. I took the note with me and felt my way across the room to the light switch.

The outside of the note was addressed to Mrs. Cullen.

"I'm hoping you won't wake and notice my absence, but, if you should, I'll be back very soon. I've just gone to the mainland to hunt. Go back to sleep and I'll be here when you wake again. I love you."

I sighed. We'd been here about two weeks now, so I should have been expecting that he would have to leave, but I hadn't been thinking about time. We seemed to exist outside of time here, just drifting along in a perfect state.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead. I felt absolutely wide awake, though the clock on the dresser said it was after one. I knew I would never be able to sleep as hot and sticky as I felt. I got up and wandered aimlessly through the dark house, flipping on lights. It felt so big and empty without Edward there. Different. I ended up in the kitchen and decided that maybe comfort food was what I needed.

I poked around in the fridge until I found all the ingredients for fried chicken.

The popping and sizzling of the chicken in the pan was a nice, homey sound; I felt less nervous while it filled the silence.

It smelled so good that I started eating it right out of the pan, burning my tongue in the process. By the fifth or sixth bite, though, it had cooled enough for me to taste it. My chewing slowed. Was there something off about the flavor? I checked the meat, and it was white all the way through, but I wondered if it was completely done. I took another experimental bite; I chewed twice. Ugh— definitely bad. I jumped up to spit it into the sink. Suddenly, the chicken-and-oil smell was revolting. I took the whole plate and shook it into the garbage, then opened the windows to chase away the scent. A coolish breeze had picked up outside. It felt good on my skin.

I was abruptly exhausted, but I didn't want to go back to the hot room. So I opened more windows in the TV room and lay on the couch right beneath them. I turned on the same movie we'd watched the other day and quickly fell asleep to the bright opening song.

When I opened my eyes again, the sun was halfway up the sky, but it was not the light that woke me. Cool arms were around me, pulling me against him. At the same time, a sudden pain twisted in my stomach, almost like the aftershock of catching a punch in the gut.

"I'm sorry," Edward was murmuring as he wiped a wintry hand across my clammy forehead. "So much for thoroughness. I didn't think about how hot you would be with me gone. I'll have an air conditioner installed before I leave again."

I couldn't concentrate on what he was saying. "Excuse me!" I gasped, struggling to get free of his arms.

He dropped his hold automatically. "Bella?"

I streaked for the bathroom with my hand clamped over my mouth. I felt so horrible that I didn't even care—at first—that he was with me while I crouched over the toilet and was violently sick.

"Bella? What's wrong?"

I couldn't answer yet. He held me anxiously, keeping my hair out of my face, waiting till I could breathe again.

"Damn rancid chicken," I moaned.

"Are you all right?" His voice was strained.

"Fine," I panted. "It's just food poisoning. You don't need to see this. Go away."

"Not likely, Bella."

"Go away," I moaned again, struggling to get up so I could rinse my mouth out.

He helped me gently, ignoring the weak shoves I aimed at him.

After my mouth was clean, he carried me to the bed and sat me down carefully, supporting me with his arms.

"Food poisoning?"

"Yeah," I croaked. "I made some chicken last night. It tasted off, so I threw it out. But I ate a few bites first."

He put a cold hand on my forehead. It felt nice. "How do you feel now?"

I thought about that for a moment. The nausea had passed as suddenly as it had come, and I felt like I did any other morning. "Pretty normal. A little hungry, actually."

He made me wait an hour and keep down a big glass of water before he fried me some eggs.

I felt perfectly normal, just a little tired from being up in the middle of the night. He put on CNN—we'd been so out of touch, world war three could have broken out and we wouldn't have known—and I lounged drowsily across his lap.

I got bored with the news and twisted around to kiss him. Just like this morning, a sharp pain hit my stomach when I moved. I lurched away from him, my hand tight over my mouth. I knew I'd never make it to the bathroom this time, so I ran to the kitchen sink.

He held my hair again.

"Maybe we should go back to Rio, see a doctor," he suggested anxiously when I was rinsing my mouth afterward.

I shook my head and edged toward the hallway. Doctors meant needles. "I'll be fine right after I brush my teeth."

When my mouth tasted better, I searched through my suitcase for the little first aid kit Alice had packed for me, full of human things like bandages and painkillers and—my object now—Pepto-Bismol. Maybe I could settle my stomach and calm Edward down.

But before I found the Pepto, I happened across something else that Alice had packed for me. I picked up the small blue box and stared at it in my hand for a long moment, forgetting everything else.

Then I started counting in my head. Once. Twice. Again.

The knock startled me; the little box fell back into the suitcase.

"Are you well?" Edward asked through the door. "Did you get sick again?"

"Yes and no," I said, but my voice sounded strangled.

"Bella? Can I please come in?" Worriedly now.

"O… kay?"

He came in and appraised my position, sitting cross-legged on the floor by the suitcase, and my expression, blank and staring. He sat next to me, his hand going to my forehead at once.

"What's wrong?"

"How many days has it been since the wedding?" I whispered.

"Seventeen," he answered automatically. "Bella, what is it?"

I was counting again. I held up a finger, cautioning him to wait, and mouthed the numbers to myself. I'd been wrong about the days before. We'd been here longer than I'd thought. I started over again.

"Bella!" he whispered urgently. "I'm losing my mind over here."

I tried to swallow. It didn't work. So I reached into the suitcase and fumbled around until I found the little blue box of tampons again. I held them up silently.

He stared at me in confusion. "What? Are you trying to pass this illness off as PMS?"

"No," I managed to choke out. "No, Edward. I'm trying to tell you that my period is five days late."

Reflexively, almost involuntarily, my hand dropped to my stomach.

He saw the motion and I could almost see the wheels turning in his head, trying to wrap his head around what I was telling him.

His facial expression didn't change. It was like I hadn't spoken.

"I don't think I have food poisoning," I added. 

Understanding started to take over, I could see it in his face.

"Edward, I think I may be pregnant again."

**DUN DUN DUN! Lol, I've been planning for Edward and Bella to have another baby ever since I started this story so I was happy to write that in. Now do you all want me to go all the way through her pregnancy again, this time with Edward there every step of the way? OR just touch on the big things...like him feeling the baby move, the big ultrasound, stuff like that? Review and let me know. YOU GUYS ARE GONNA HELP SHAPE PART OF THE STORY IF YOU REVIEW! So PUSH THAT BUTTON AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD! LOVE YOU ALL!**


	29. Chapter 29: You and me, together forever

**AN: HEY ALL MY READERS! So I was originally gonna do this chapter with JUST Jacob or Bella, but both the parts we're so short...I DECIDED TO COMBINE THEM. So you need to let me know if you like it like this or not...because I'm probably gonna do Bella's pregnancy chapters in 2 parts like this: Edward and Bella. Also, those of you who voted on whether to do the whole pregnancy or just the main points: More of you voted for me to do the whole pregnancy so that's what I'm gonna do for ya. Ok, I need to stop rambling so you all can read. ENJOY AND REVIEW PLEASE!**

JACOB'S POV:

Today was a pretty good Saturday. I had just finished helping Seth with his homework, Leah wanted to take a nap, and Seth wanted to get out of the house.

So we were dirt-biking.

We had just gotten to one of the lakes and decided to give the bikes a break before heading back.

I liked days like this, when I wasn't an Alpha wolf, wasn't worrying about things at home, I was just Jake. I got days like this with Bella alot, but she's on her honeymoon right now so today was a me and Seth day.

Suddenly Seth turned to me and said "Jake, I know you're older than me, and you're my Alpha, but for right now, in this moment, I need you to take me seriously and see me as a superior."

I could tell this was something that was laying heavily on Seth's mind, so I just nodded and obliged him by saying "Ok, please go on Seth."

Seth took a deep breath before continuing.

"Jacob, as you know, since dad died I have become the man of my house. And as the man of the house I need to make sure every one in my household will always be safe and taken care of. Including the ones that won't be in my house much longer."

I immediately knew where Seth was going with this. It had to do with Leah. But I let him continue, knowing he wasn't done talking.

"Jacob, if you can swear to me that you will take care of Leah, and your guys' baby, for as long as you're alive, I will give you my blessing, as the head of household."

I turned to look Seth straight in the face before reassuring him, "Seth, I swear to you, that as long as there is breath in my lungs and my heart continues to beat I will do everything in my power, human and wolf, to protect, and keep safe, Leah, and all the children we may have."

Seth nodded. I could tell he was thinking but I didn't read his thoughts this time. It was something personal he was working out in his head.

He then turned to me and said "Then, you have my blessing Jacob. Treat them well."

He then held out hid hand.

I knew what he wanted. So I took his hand and shook it firmly.

Seth then took a deep breath and said "Ok, enough of this touchy feely stuff, let's make some mud!" before jumping up, grabbing his helmet and jumping back on his bike.

I smiled, laughed and grabbed my helmet, following Seth back to the bikes.

Later that day, when the bikes only had enough gas to get us back home, we called it a day and headed back to his place.

By now Leah was up from her nap and was starting to fix dinner.

"Bike's run out of gas?" she asked as I came up behind her to kiss her cheek and rub her belly.

"Yep, we ran 'em pretty hard today, they're gonna need new shocks soon the way your brother does jumps." I replied.

She just smiled and kept cutting the onions.

"So what's for dinner?" I asked.

"Taco salad." she replied dropping the onion chives into the bowl and opening the olives.

"Yummy." I said trying to get some food out of the bowl.

But Leah was too fast for me and it earned me a slap on the hand with a wooden spoon.

"Owie." I said jokingly, pretending to rub my hand and pout, lip out and all.

"Serves you right trying to put your gross muddy hands in my food. Go wash up for dinner." she said waving the spoon as if daring me to try again.

"Yes mommy." I said jokingly heading to the bathroom.

That comment earned me the wooden spoon hard on my butt cheek.

And THAT one hurt.

After dinner Seth went up to study for a history test while Leah and I sat down to watch The Green Lantern.

As I sat there, I thought about what all I had.

I was now Alpha of my pack, where my heritage truly lied, I had just graduated from high school last month, I was engaged to the most amazing woman in the world, and she was carrying the first of our children. I have a pretty good life.

I smiled at this thought and starting rubbing Leah's belly before kissing her head.

She looked up at me concerned.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about how good life is right now. How wonderful our future is going to be." I said before leaning in to kiss her.

"I love you." she said before snuggling closer into me.

"I love you too baby." I replied once again starting to rub her belly.

"You and me, together forever." I whispered in her ear, promising both her and the baby.

BELLA'S POV:

We had finally made it home late last night. After checking on Nessie and Carlisle telling us he wanted to do an exam in the morning I was finally able to collapse into the bed Edward and I had at his family's home.

The next morning, after breakfast, Carlisle escorted us into the exam room they had in the basement.

I was shocked at all he had in here, the exam table, an ultrasound machine, basically he had everything to have a private practice right in their home.

"Bella, sweetheart?" Edward brought me back from my shock.

I looked over to see Carlisle warming up the ultrasound machine. I took this as my cue to lay on the exam table.

After lifting up my shirt slightly Carlisle put the familiar goo on my stomach, put the wand on my stomach, and started looking.

Sure enough, there was a tiny line in there, confirming that Edward and I WERE having another baby.

"Well, it looks like you're having two children." Carlisle said, although I could sense the hesitancy in his voice.

"Carlisle, what's wrong?" I asked. Since he was a doctor knowing he was nervous made me nervous.

Carlisle sighed a deep breath before looking at me.

"I'm not gonna lie to you Bella, you got lucky on your first pregnancy. With Edward being...what we are, for you to have such a normal pregnancy and delivery, and to have Nessie just craving blood, we've ALL been very lucky. But I don't know if you're gonna get that lucky twice."

I looked at him confused, not quite getting what he was getting at.

"What are you saying Carlisle? You want me to abort...KILL...my baby?"

"No of course not Bella, I feel that every life starts at conception, you know that. However, as a doctor AND a vampire I have seen this kill mothers before. I think you both need to think about whether or not you want to go through with this. As your father, and father-in-law, I will support whatever you're choice will be. And if you do decide to keep the child, I would like you to stay here for your first trimester, just so I can keep an eye on you and make sure everything will be ok. Sound good?" he concluded.

"So as a doctor, what is your opinion?" Edward asked, knowing, as I did, that Carlisle's personal feelings may be clouding his medicinal mind.

"As a doctor, I feel that this pregnancy may be a high risk pregnancy since the child, like Nessie, has both vampire DNA and human DNA. However, there is no threat or risk at this time." he said.

Edward just nodded as he started wiping the goo off of my belly.

Later that evening we laid in bed with Nessie in my arms, slowly falling asleep.

Suddenly I heard Edward clear his throat, wanting to say something. So I gave him my full attention.

"Bella, as this is your body I feel it should be your decision...do you want to go through with this pregnancy, knowing what could happen? Knowing you could lose the baby, or even...die."

I won't lie, I had been thinking about this the whole day, tossing back and forth with the decision.

But in the end I always came to the same conclusion:

I looked at Nessie, then looked at Edward before I started to rub my belly.

"This baby is you and me, just like Nessie is you and me. I would never give up you, or Nessie, for anything in this world. Just like I know you would never give me or Nessie up for the entire world."

I could see the wheels turning in his head as he quickly put two and two together...and came up with four.

He smiled before saying "So you wanna do this? You wanna have this baby?"

I just smiled my small smile and nodded.

Edward then nodded, kissed my head, leaned over to kiss Nessie, then leaned in and kissed my stomach.

He then sat up and said "You and me, together forever, no matter what."

I smiled, and feeling my eyes get heavy, closed my eyes to sleep, knowing that what he said went for me, Nessie and our new baby.

**OK, so I'll admit, I'm not too happy with this chapter. I feel it's not my best work but let me know what you think.**

**ALSO...I've noticed that I'm gettting less and less reviews for each chapter, so I'm starting to think that people aren't enjoying this story anymore. If you guys want me to keep going on this story let me know, otherwise I'm starting to think people aren't liking the story anymore. So if you LOVE this story REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW! PUSH THE BUTTON PEOPLE!**


	30. Chapter 30: A Day With The Cullens

**HEY EVERYONE! So a few of you DID review and tell me you enjoy reading this and want me to continue so...I WILL! This chapter is kinda short but very important I think. Don't have much to say this time so just read, enjoy and REVIEW!**

BELLA'S POV:

It had been 6 weeks since we had confirmed I was pregnant. I was finishing up on my first trimester and per Carlisle's request we had stayed here for the past 3 months to make sure there aren't any complications.

We had an appointment today with him to make sure everything was still ok.

After he measured my stomach and did another ultrasound he looked at us both, shaking his head.

"Carlisle, what's wrong?" Edward asked as I pulled my shirt down.

"Nothing, everything is perfectly fine. The baby is growing at a normal rate and everything with Bella is as normal as a normal pregnancy can be. I just don't understand." he said.

I could tell this totally baffled him and it surprised me. I had always thought Carlisle had all the answers when it came to vampires but now...

"So does this mean I can go back to Dr. Bennett now?" I asked.

I had enjoyed having her as a doctor and really wanted her to help deliver this baby as well.

"Actually Bella, I talked to Dr. Bennett shortly after you got home and we confirmed your pregnancy. I told her I was worried that you may be a high risk pregnancy, and since I have had experience with high risk pregnancies I asked her if we could transfer your file over to me. And she agreed." he finished with an "I'm sorry" look.

I realized there was no way out of this and admited defeat by simply nodding and saying "Ok."

"Also Bella, as I have classified this as a possible high risk pregnancy. I, as your doctor, would strongly suggest you stay here for the remainder of your pregnancy so I can keep an eye on you and the baby and make sure everything will stay ok. Alright?" he concluded.

Knowing he was not talking to me as a father-in-law, but as a doctor, I knew this would probably be for the best.

So I just nodded in agreement.

"Excellent." he said before starting to write some things in my file.

After the examination we headed back into the living area while Carlisle went to his office to put my new information into his computer.

"You know, I realize I'm really happy and excited that you're here and know about the baby from the beginning," I said to Edward taking his hand, "and that you're going to be here every step of the way this time." I finished kissing his cheek.

"Look Bella, I can't apologize enough for what I did to you last year while you were pregnant with Nessie, especially those first few months. If I had known about it, not interrupted you in the forest that day, I would have stayed here with you. Or maybe I would have taken you with us." he said as we walked down the stairs.

When we got to the bottom of the stairs I stopped and had him turn to face me.

"Hey, it's ok, I understand. You thought you were doing what was best, for me and your family, when you left. I mean, I'm not going to lie, I WAS mad you weren't there, but knew why you weren't." I explained.

Suddenly he embraced me and kissed the top of my head before whispering "Thank you my love."

After a couple of minutes of just holding each other we continued into the family area.

"I just kind of wish we already knew whether we're having a boy or girl." I said as we turned the corner.

Suddenly I heard our little pixie say "Well, do you want to know now?"

I turned around and asked "What Alice, you know already?"

I deserved the look she gave me, like I was an idiot.

"Of course I do Bella. So do you want to know?" she asked again.

I just looked at Edward. This was a decision that involved us both.

I could tell he was thinking about it before saying "You know what, why not?"

To say his answer shocked me was an understatement. But I went with it.

"So Alice, what is it?" I asked turning around to face her.

"Do the initials J A C mean anything to you Bella?" she asked with that familiar glint in her eyes.

"J A C?" Edward asked behind me.

"Jacob Anthony Cullen? I'm getting my little Jakey?" I asked excited.

"Yes Bella, you're getting your little Jakey." Alice said with a laugh.

Suddenly I felt Edward spin me around.

"Jacob Anthony?" he asked confused.

At first I thought he was offended, but then he continued.

"How did you come up with that one?" he asked genuinely curious.

"Well, Anthony was your father's name and Jacob, well I think that's kind of self explanatory." I said.

"Don't get me wrong, I like it. It's a good strong name. I was just curious." he said before kissing the top of my head.

Suddenly my stomach growled.

We both laughed before Edward said "Apparently Jake is hungry."

I just chuckled before nodding and heading into the kitchen to fix something to eat.

I headed to the fridge to make something to eat. They had to keep the fridge stocked now that Carlisle insisted I stay here.

I made us an egg, cheese, and tomato omelette.

I put it on the table but noticed it was missing something.

Suddenly I realized what it was.

I went to the fridge and pulled out two things.

I then sat down and put the ketchup and mustard on my omelette.

I had downed about half of the omelette before noticing that Jasper, Emmett, Alice, and Edward were looking at me with disgust on their face.

"What?" I asked.

But before anyone could reply Esme walked in, saw my plate and the looks I was getting, and said "Oh come on guys, she's pregnant. You think she's not gonna have craving?"

Suddenly everyone snapped out of their stares at the same time which made me burst out with laughter.

But as Emmett turned I heard him whisper to Jasper "Yeah, but that's just gross!"

I was about to say something when Rosalie walked in past Emmett and smacked him hard on the back of the head.

She just said "You know why." as she walked to the living room and picked up a magazine.

Oh yeah, it was gonna be fun living here.

Later on that day I started thinking about Jacob and realized I wanted to go see him.

I decided to tell Edward where I was going and found him in changing Nessie's diaper.

"Hey you two." I said leaning down to kiss Nessie's forehead.

I then stood up to kiss Edward.

"What's up Bella?" he asked as he buttoned her onesie.

"Just thought I'd let you know I'm going to go visit Jacob for a couple of hours. I should be home by dinner time." I said cuddling Nessie.

"Ok, if you need anything give someone a call." he said taking Nessie back to feed her.

"Will do and I'll see you soon." I said before kissing him and heading out the door.

I called Jacob to find out if he was at home or with Leah. Since he had just woken up I pulled up into his driveway.

"Hey Loca!" he called as I walked up the walkway.

"Hey Jake." I replied hugging him.

He then led us into the house.

"So where's Billy?" I asked noticing he wasn't there.

"I think he said something about fishing with Charlie." he said as he grabbed a bottle of water.

"Want one?" he asked holding another one up.

"Sure." I replied sitting down on the couch.

He came and sat down next to me handing me the water.

We spent the next hour just catching up.

He told me about Leah's pregnancy, and told me about how Seth gave Jacob his blessing to marry Leah and take care of her and the baby.

And I told him about how Edward and I were expecting our 2nd baby.

"Bella that's awesome. Congratulations." he said giving me a hug.

"Thanks Jake. We're really excited too." I said.

I figured I'd leave out the detail that Carlisle was worried about the baby being half-vampire, half-human.

"So you picked out names yet?" he asked.

"Yeah actually. Alice already saw that it's going to be a boy and we're naming him Jacob Anthony Cullen." I said hoping he'd make the connection with the first name.

"JACOB Anthony Cullen?" he asked.

Yep, he got the connection.

"Yeah, Jake you've been such a great friend and supporter and you're the brother I never had. I always knew if I had a boy he would have my "brother's" name in there." I said smiling.

His grin was from ear to ear.

"Thanks Bella, I'm honored. Not just about the name but everything else you said. I know I was an ass earlier this year but I am really glad you and Edward were able to forgive me." he said.

"You were mad, I understand." I said rubbing his back.

"So you guys pick out a name for your baby yet?" I asked him.

"No, Leah wants to wait til we find out what we're having to pick out our name." he replied.

Suddenly my phone rang.

I immediately knew who it was by the ringtone.

Edward had recorded my lullaby onto a ringtone.

I smiled and told Jacob "It's my husband. Man, I love saying that."

He just laughed as I hit "Accept" on my phone.

But I barely got out my "hello" before Edward said "You need to come home now. I have something to tell you."

And just as suddenly as the conversation started it was over and my phone disconnected from the call.

I turned to see Jacob's face was as confused as mine.

"Apparently I have to go. Edward has something big to tell me." I said picking up my purse.

Jacob walked me out to my truck and hugged me before I got in the car.

When I got home I was greeted with everyone in the living room.

Everyone had a sullen look on this face so I knew this couldn't be good.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Bella," I heard Edward behind me.

He came up and wrapped his arms around my waist before looking deep into my eyes and saying the second biggest thing that could scare me.

"The Volturi are coming. They want to inspect the children."

**DUN DUN DUN! LOL I loved writing in the fact that the Volutri is finally coming. I knew they were going to have to be in this story and I felt they worked here.**

**So hope you liked it and if anyone has any feedback, good or bad, feel free to let me know and please review. So PUSH THAT BUTTON PEOPLE! TTFN my readers.**


	31. Chapter 31: Thanksgiving

**HEY EVERYONE HAPPY THANKSGIVING! So I saw Breaking Dawn earlier this week and LOVED IT! SOOOOOOOOOOOOO ! And seeing it inspired me to write this chapter. So please read and enjoy!**

BELLA'S POV:

"When will they be here Alice?" Edward asked next to me.

"Two days, on Friday. About 10 a.m." She replied.

I did the math in my head and realized something.

"The day after Thanksgiving?" I asked.

She just nodded as this realization dawned on me.

I may only get one special holiday with Nessie and Edward? Our lives could be over right after Thanksgiving?

At that I made a decision.

I stood up and spoke loudly to have everyone hear me, since they were all discussing what to do about the Volturi.

"I have an announcement to make!" I shouted to get everyone's attention.

They all turned to look at me.

"Ok, we don't know what will happen on Friday morning, but tomorrow, Thursday, is a big, family holiday. Now, me and Edward have plans with Charlie tomorrow afternoon, but I want US to be together as a family that evening as well. It may be our last night as a family and I want us to be together." I finished, hoping everyone would agree.

I looked at Edward, who smiled, which told me he liked the idea. I then looked at Carlisle.

"That sounds like an excellent idea Bella." he said with a smile.

"You're right, we don't know what Friday holds, so we should be together, as a family, the day before." Edward said coming up to embrace me.

I felt him kiss my head as I melted into his chest once again.

Suddenly I heard Nessie through the baby monitor.

"She's probably wet and hungry." Edward said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Make sure to grab her a blood bottle too, she hasn't had any yet today." I said as I walked up the stairs.

I walked in to Nessie's nursery Alice had set up for us over the past few weeks. I had to admit, there was so much pink I thought I was gonna be sick. I remembered when Edward first saw it he called it the "Pepto Bismol" room, which made me laugh. Even now it made me smile every time I walked into her room.

"Hello precious." I said picking up Nessie.

She looked up and gave me the biggest smile she could.

She always knew how to make my day, especially on days like this.

I had just finished changing her when I heard Edward walk in.

"She ready for this?" he asked from behind me.

"Yeah, you know we feed her that first so she doesn't try to bite me looking for blood." I said with a smile handing her to Edward.

We had an agreement that he would get to feed her the blood since I provided her the milk she needs.

I busied myself with throwing away the wet diaper and throwing the wet clothes in her hamper before I heard a familiar tune coming from their corner of the room.

I turned to hear Edward singing Renessme our lullaby.

Seeing them together, Renessme looking up at Edward with those huge, brown eyes, and Edward looking back at her with so much love and sweetness.

These were the moments that melted my heart.

The moments I knew I would remember even after Edward changed me.

The moments that would last in my memory forever, whatever may come.

After she finished her bottle Edward stood up so I could sit down.

He then handed Nessie to me so I could feed her.

"I'm gonna go wash this out while you two finish up." Edward said walking out the door.

About 10 minutes, and 2 nipples later, Nessie disconnected from my nipple letting me know she was finished.

I was about to burp her when suddenly Jacob Anthony started jumping on my bladder.

"Edward! I need you up here!" I called as my bladder continued to fill.

"What's wrong?" he asked looking very scared.

"Nothing, but you need to burp Nessie before my bladder explodes." I said urgently handing Nessie to him.

I could hear Edward laughing as I walked into the bathroom.

A few minutes later I walked back into the bedroom to see Edward wiping off Nessie's chin from a little spit up.

"Feel better?" he asked as I picked up Nessie.

"Yeah, much." I replied.

After we cleaned up Nessie we all went downstairs to see what they decided to do about the Volturi.

I put Nessie in her little bassinett and joined my family in the main room.

Carlise stood up to make his announcement.

"Ok, now that everyone's here, here's what we've decided to do. Alice has seen that they are coming to see if the children will be a threat to our lives and secret. As we all know, we're already training Nessie to drink animal blood, not humans. As she's only 5 months old, I strongly believe that they will leave her alone. And as far as Jacob Anthony goes, we know Marcus' power is relational empathy. He can see the relationships between people just by looking into their eyes. Knowing how much you and Edward love your children, I have no doubt in my mind that he will see how much he means to you. And Aro's power is to know every thought you've ever had with a simple touch. It's like Edward's power, but much stronger. And Alice has seen that Nessie and Jacob will grow up to be model vampire-human hybrids, keeping our lives a complete secret. All we need ot do is have Aro see that in Alice's mind and they should be completely safe."

"And if they're not?" I asked, not wanting to, but knew I need to.

"As much as I don't want to tell you this Bella, I feel I must. If Aro decides they are a danger he will probably destroy Nessie now, and have us destroy Jacob very shortly after birth." Carlisle said with the saddest look on his face.

The last thing I remember was feeling the room start to spin.

I opened my eyes to see it was dark outside.

Suddenly I felt a cold hand stroke my cheek.

I rolled over to see Edward looking very concerned.

"Are you ok love?" he asked.

I sat up slowly taking inventory of myself.

Awake, check. Lucid, check. Still pregnant, check.

"Yeah I think so. What happened?" I asked.

"After Carlisle told you the worst case scenario for Friday you fainted." he said.

I could hear the fear in his own voice.

I scooted over into his lap. I just needed him to hold me right now.

"Edward?" I finally spoke after a while.

"Yes love?" he asked.

"What if we lose them? I don't know if I could survive that." I said feeling the tears well up in my eyes.

He forced me to look him in the eyes.

"I will not lie to you Bella, it will be the worst moment of both of our lives. But together, we can get through everything. 'For better or worse' remember?" he said.

I just nodded before he pulled me to him. We both just held each other like it was our last moment together.

"I love you, all of you." I whispered, speaking to Edward as well as Jacob.

Suddenly Edward pulled back and looked at my stomach.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I don't know, but say something again." Edward said rubbing my stomach.

"Like what?" I asked.

Suddenly Edward's face lit up.

"Edward what's going on?" I asked getting worried.

"I can hear him. I can hear Jacob." Edward lit up like a Christmas tree.

"You can hear him? You mean his thoughts?" I asked getting excited.

"Yes! he says he's happy. He wants you to know not to worry, he won't let anything happen to you and his big sister." Edward said, looking happy then confused.

"Well, of course he's happy." I said starting to rub my stomach.

"I love you and your sister so much." I whispered to him.

"He says he loves us too, all of us." he said before kissing my stomach.

"Don't worry Jacob, I won't let anything happen to you, mommy or Nessie." Edward said putting his cheek on my stomach.

I smiled, laying back and letting them have their own "private conversation".

A few minutes later Edward sat up and laid next to me.

"Did he run out of words?" I asked jokingly.

"No, he's tired and wants to sleep." Edward replied pulling me onto him.

"Could you hear Nessie when she was in the womb too?" I asked.

"I thought I did when we went to the appointment when we found out she was going to be Nessie, but I'm not sure. I'll have to start trying to hear her thoughts now that I know Jacob and I have a connection." Edward replied.

Suddenly my stomach growled.

"Speaking of Jacob, I think we're hungry." I said with a smile getting up.

"I'll go check on Nessie while you eat." Edward replied getting up as well.

I had just finished up my hamburger and fries that Alice made me when Edward came in with Nessie.

"Is she hungry?" I asked seeing them sit down.

"No, just wants to cuddle." he said kissing her forehead.

I sat down next to them.

Emmett had the football game on and him and Jasper were watching on the edge of their seats.

Half an hour later the Redskins scored the winning touchdown against the Raiders.

"Pay up Emmett, that's 50 bucks." Jasper said with a grin on his face.

"You guys bet on every game?" I asked.

"Yeah, and I somehow lose every game." Emmett grumbled as he pulled out his wallet.

I just laughed at my brothers'. 'This must be what it's like to have a big family' I thought with a smile.

Suddenly my eyes felt very heavy.

Edward must have sensed this because suddenly he said "I think we should head to bed. It's late."

He stood up and held Nessie in one hand while he helped me get up.

"I'll put Nessie to bed then I'll be in." he said kissing my head.

I was too tired to argue with him, so I just nodded and headed into bed.

About half an hour later I felt the bed dip as he crawled into bed.

I rolled over and snuggled into his chest.

"Did she fall asleep easy?" I asked.

"Yeah, after her two bottles and a diaper change she went down fast." he said kissing me again.

Suddenly I felt an urge come over me.

I sat up to look Edward in the eye.

"Edward, I need you." I said.

"Bella, I'm yours forever, remember?" he said with a smile.

I smiled and shook my head. He may be smart, but he needed me to spell this out for him.

I sat up and straddled him. I then brought him up and kissed him passionately.

"No Edward, I NEED you." I said.

"Are you sure it won't hurt the baby?" he asked concerned.

"No, as long as you're gentle it won't hurt him at all." I said bringing his hands to my chest.

That was all he needed to hear, and feel, before turning us over and kissing me passionately.

The next morning I woke with a smile.

Last night was...AMAZING I realized as I remembered it.

I rolled over, but Edward was gone.

In his place was a note.

'Went hunting, I'll be back before noon so we can go to your dad's.'

Suddenly I realized I didn't hear Nessie.

I walked into her room to see Alice feeding her a blood bottle.

"Morning ladies." I said smiling.

"Hey sleepyhead." Alice said setting Nessie up for burping.

"Sleep well?" Alice said with a wink.

"Yes very." I replied with a grin.

"She needs a change." Alice said handing me Nessie and her diaper.

After I changed her I heard a familiar warm laugh come from the doorway.

Suddenly his cold arms wrapped around my waist making Jacob jump.

"Sorry buddy, didn't mean to startle you." Edward said rubbing my stomach.

"He doesn't like cold?" I asked buttoning Nessie's onesie.

"No, it's too nice and warm in there he says." Edward replied picking up Nessie.

"You go eat, I'll take her." Alice said cuddling her niece.

"So do we need to bring anything for the dinner?" Edward asked.

"Leah said something about bringing apple and pumpkin pie." I replied.

"I think I'll have Rosalie help me cook them." I said.

"Leah's gonna be there?" Edward asked confused.

"Yeah, dad invited the Black's for dinner and Jacob invited Leah and her family. Will that be a problem?" I asked confused.

"No, just wondering." he said going to watch tv.

At that moment Rosalie walked in.

"Hey Rosalie, can you help me make some pies for this afternoon?" I asked her.

"Sure, what kind do you need to make?" she replied.

"Apple and Pumpkin. I kinda cheated and bought the ones in a box premade, but I would still like your help." I said with a smile.

"Sure, I'll go get started on them now." she said with a smile.

"I'll wash Nessie and get us ready while you two make the pies." Edward said heading upstairs.

One hour, and 2 hot pies later Rosalie and I put the alumnium foil on the pies and took them out to Edward's car.

A thought occured to me.

"Rosalie?" I asked to get her attention.

"Yeah Bella?" she replied.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why have you changed towards me? I mean, you used to hate me and recently you've been alot nicer to me." I asked.

Rosalie smiled her tiny smile before responding.

"Bella, I've never hated you. I didn't particularly like you but, I can understand why you felt that way. I guess I just realized, since you're my sister, and you make my brother the happiest he's been since I've known him, I should give you a chance." she said with a smile.

"Oh ok." I replied.

"We're ready, why don't you go shower and get ready?" I heard Edward say as he came down.

He was in a dark blue button up shirt with his black slacks and good black dress shoes.

He had Nessie dressed in a nice, cute lavender purple dress with matching leggings so she wouldn't get cold.

I kissed them both before heading upstairs.

After my shower I tied my hair in a half ponytail and did my makeup before going to put on a dark green blouse, black skirt, and my black ballet flats.

I walked down to see Edward changing Nessie's diaper.

"You ready to go?" he asked as he put Nessie's pants back on.

"Yeah, just gotta grab my coat and purse." I said heading to the door.

I smiled as we pulled up and I saw Jacob's rabbit.

Charlie opened the door as we walked up the stairs.

"Hey dad, happy thanksgiving." I said giving him a hug.

"Happy thanksgiving kids." he said shaking Edward's hand.

I had barely put down Nessie's diaper bag before I felt some warm arms wrap around my shoulders.

"Jacob!" I screamed as I was spun around once.

"Happy thanksgiving Loca." he said putting me down.

"And to you." I said giving him a proper hug.

"Come sit down, dinner's almost ready." he said.

"Jacob, good to see you again." I heard Edward say behind me.

"You too Edward. You taking care of my girl?" Jacob said with a grin.

I heard Edward chuckle as I sat down.

"Of course." he said sitting down.

"How are you Leah?" I asked sitting next to her.

"Good, bloated and cramped but good." she said with a smile rubbing her stomach.

"I know how you feel." I replied.

We continued talking about our babies while the guys discussed everything from cars to sports.

About half an hour later Sue walked in from the kitchen.

"Ok everyone, come sit down, dinner's ready." she said with a smile.

We all ushered into the kitchen.

Dad sat at the head of the table, me on his left, Edward next to me and Seth next to him, then it was Billy at the other end of the table, with Jacob next to him, Leah in the middle, and her mom Sue next to Charlie.

Charlie doesn't think I know, but him and Sue have been dating since just before my wedding.

"Well, I'm not a Christian man, but I think we should give thanks for this meal." Charlie said.

We all joined hands and bowed our heads.

"We thank you Lord for this meal and the fact that we made it through another year. Bless this food to our bodies and our time together. Amen." he concluded.

"Amen." we all said in unison.

As we started handing around the food I remembered something mom did every year.

"You know, as a kid, my mom would have us go around the table and say what we were thankful for this year. Would everyone be ok if we did that?" I asked.

Everyone nodded and that made me smile.

"Ok dad, since your the head of the house, why don't you start?" I suggested.

"Ok, well, I'm thankful that love has given me a second chance with Sue. And that you are so happy sweetheart. As a parent, as you understand, your child's happiness is what matters the most." he said taking both mine and Sue's hands.

We both smiled and got tears in our eyes.

I wiped my tears away as I realized it was my turn.

"Ok, I am thankful for my family, my husband, and my kids. And that we can all be together as a family." I concluded rubbing Edward's hand.

He just smiled and kissed my cheek.

Edward cleared his throat and started then.

"I am thankful for my lovely wife and wonderful children. And all the happiness they have brought me this past year." he said smiling.

"Ok my turn." Seth said, "I am thankful for Jacob cause he's the big brother I've always wanted. I'm learning so much from him. I'm also thankful that he's treating Leah and the baby well since I gave him my blessing earlier this year. And I'm thankful my mom has found love again with Charlie." he finished with a smile.

"Well, I'm thankful for my son's and Leah's happiness and I'm thankful that Jacob has grown into such an amazing man that I'm proud to call my son." Billy said putting his hand on Jacob's shoulder.

"Thanks Dad." Jacob said touching his hand.

"Ok so, I'm thankful for Leah. And our baby of course, and that we're getting married right after the baby's born. Also, I'm thankful that I signed the papers on our first apartment yesterday." Jacob finished with a grin.

"You what?" Leah asked looking shocked.

"I signed the papers on our first home yesterday. We can move in the first of the month. Happy thanksgiving honey." he said kissing her cheek.

"Ok, let me stop tearing up first." Leah said wiping her eyes with her napkin.

"Ok, so I'm thankful for Jacob, and that my pregnancy is going so good, and that we're finding out next month if it's a boy or a girl." she said taking Jacob's hand.

"Ok so I am thankful for my kids, and that Seth is doing so well in school, thank you Jacob for helping him with his work, and that Leah and Jacob are so happy. And I'm also thankful for Charlie and that he will finally let me announce...we're getting married!" she concluded.

"What?" I asked shocked and happy.

"When?" Leah asked.

"Sometime next year, after your wedding and the baby's born." she said with a smile.

After everyone gave their congratulations we all started eating.

Edward had agreed to pretend to eat today to keep up appearance. I knew after dinner he would excuse himself and go outside to dispose of his dinner.

As Leah and I cleaned up I got a text from my mom.

'Happy thanksgiving to you and all the family.'

I just smiled and texted back.

'Happy thanksgiving to you and your family too mom. I love you.'

After we finished cleaning I saw Nessie rub her eyes.

"We should get her home and to bed." I told Edward.

"Yeah, we should." he agreed.

After giving everyone hugs and wishing happy thanksgiving we got in the car and headed back home.

We got Nessie into bed and went downstairs.

About 2 hours later, after everyone had gone out and eaten their "thanksgiving dinner" composed of wild animals we all sat down and just enjoyed each others company.

"Hey Bella told me about a tradition at her family I want to start here. They go around and say what everyone's thankful for this year." Edward said suddenly.

"That sounds wonderful, let's do that." Alice said eagerly.

"Ok, well with Carlisle being the head of the family he should start." Edward said.

"Alright, well I'm thankful for being wrong about Bella's pregnancy and that Bella and little Jacob are doing so well." he said with a smile.

Esme was next to him so she of course was next.

"Well, I'm thankful that my family is whole, since Edward was gone for the first part of the year and some of last year, and I'm thankful that Bella has brought so much happiness to him." she said with a smile.

Emmett was next to her. I prepared myself for the worst from him.

"Well, this year, I'm thankful for my wife, Rosalie, and for what all she has done to make me a better person." he concluded giving her a hug.

"Well, I'm thankful that Bella has finally come back into Edward's life and that she's been for him what I couldn't be." Rosalie said with a smile.

Alice was next.

"I actually can't say what I'm thankful for until tomorrow night, or it will ruin a surprise." she said with a smile.

I hated when she did that, but knew why she did.

Then there was Jasper.

"Well, I'm thankful that I've gone a full year without human blood and can now consider myself an offical vegetarian vampire now." he said with a smile.

Then Edward was next.

"Well, I am thankful for Bella, Nessie and Jacob, and all the happiness and joy they have brought me this past year. I've never been happier in my entire life." he said with a smile.

He kissed my head before whispering "Except for our honeymoon of course."

I chuckled to myself before speaking up.

"And I am thankful for Edward, Nessie and Jacob and that we can all be together as a family." I said with a smile.

Watching the fire made me sleepy and before I knew it I fell asleep.

But I was jostled awake as I was placed on the bed.

"Edward?" I said to get his attention as I rolled over to look at him.

"Yes?" he asked.

"We don't know what's going to happen in just a few hours, we may only have tonight." I said.

"I know love, but what's your point?" he asked wondering where I was going with this.

"If this is our last night together, I want to be as close to you as possible. Make love to me?" I asked.

He just smiled before embracing me.

"You never need to ask my love." he said kissing me with intense passion.

The next morning I woke up and looked at my clock.

9:00 AM

I had one hour.

I jumped out of bed to go get Nessie, but Edward was already changing her.

"Everything ok in here?" I asked.

"Yeah, we just finished up and now she's just hungry for mommy." he said as I sat down.

"Ok." I said getting ready to feed her.

Half an hour later she was done eating and we went downstairs.

Edward had just finished making me breakfast as I put Nessie in her bassinett.

After I ate my eggs and bacon I just sat there with Edward and Nessie, with Edward rubbing my stomach.

It killed me to wait, I had no idea what was going to happen, this could be our last moments together as a family.

Suddenly we heard the clock chime ten o'clock.

Just as it finished chiming the doorbell rang.

It was time.

**They're here! LOL! Want me to update this week? Well...push that button and let me know! Hope you liked it and everyone had a happy thanksgiving.**


	32. Chapter 32: The Volturi Arrive

**HEY EVERYONE! So I promised if I got some reviews I would update this week and you guys came through! I was super excited to write this chapter so I'm glad you guys reviewed and practically BEGGED for this chapter. I REALLY hope you like it and let me know what you think. SO READ ON AND ENJOY.**

Carlisle opened the door and I could hear him speaking to someone.

"Welcome, please come in." he said.

The steps I heard coming in were like huge booms to my heart.

As they came into the room I could immediately tell who each one was by Edward's previous descriptions.

Aro lead them in, his black hair and red eyes very distinguishable.

Marcus, to Aro's right, looked so sad and empathetic, it gave me a glimmer of hope.

But Caius, to Aro's left, with his hard stone face, cruel red eyes and hair so blonde it was almost white, gave my heart chills.

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen, such a pleasure to meet you." Aro said holding out his hand.

I gave him my hand and allowed him to kiss it. But the look on his face confused me.

"I can't see anything." he spoke back to the others.

I looked at Edward for an explanation.

"Aro can see every thought you've ever had with a simple touch. But you are immune to the Volturi powers, much like you are immune to mine." he explained.

I nodded in understanding.

"Well, we must get to the business at hand." Aro stated, "We will listen to all your testimonials and examine both children before making our final decision." he concluded.

Carlisle spoke up first.

"Well, Aro, I can personally attest that Renessme is a perfectly normal infant. I perform her checkups and examinations myself and she couldn't be more like any normal infant. The only thing that makes her different is her need for blood to survive as well as her mother's milk. She needs the blood because of her father being one of us. Also, she does have our extremely strong teeth, but no venom. We know this because she has bitten Bella a few times while Bella has been feeding her but Bella is still human. As far as her unborn child goes, the pregnancy is going as normal as it would be if Bella were carrying a completely human child with no vampire family. The children are no danger to us or themselves." Carlisle concluded.

Aro nodded before turning to Edward.

"And you Edward? What do you have to say in your children's defense?" he asked Edward.

"Well sir, I was here for the end of Bella's pregnancy with our daughter Renessme, and I've been with her ever since then. Now when Renessme was born it was a perfectly normal birth. I have been in the doctor career before and I was a nurse for a gynocologist once, and my daughter's birth was as normal as the births I overlooked during that time. And Renessme has been growing at a normal pace like any regular child. The only difference, like Carlisle said, is that she needs blood to sustain herself, but it's not human blood. It's the same blood I drink when I go hunting in the woods. I just bring some extra home and she drinks them at the same times as her mother's milk. We feed her the blood before Bella feeds her and it curbs her thirst perfectly. And our son, Jacob," Edward reached over and rubbed my stomach, soothing both of us, "is perfectly healthy and happy. He is not harming Bella in anyway, he loves her too much to hurt her. Just like Renessme when Bella was pregnant with her. Please Aro, don't take away my family. It would destroy me and Bella if you did." he concluded.

Aro just nodded before raising his head to speak.

"Well, I appreciate what you both have told me. But I wish to see your thoughts as well. As well as the children. Since Edward can read the children's thoughts I should be able to as well." he concluded.

So he walked around the room, to Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie.

Suddenly I realized I didn't see Alice in the room. This worried me a little.

He then walked over to us and took Edward's hand, then lightly touched Nessie's head.

He walked over to me and reached his hand towards my stomach, but didn't put it on yet.

"May I?" he asked.

I simply nodded giving him permission.

After a few minutes he took his hand off of my stomach.

"I must say, I am shocked and surprised at how much love and admiration you all have for these children. As well as the feelings the children have towards their parents." he said.

This started sounding good.

"However, I am not the only one who needs to be convinced. Marcus?" he stepped aside to let Marcus step forward.

"Marcus has the ability to see the emotional bonds between people. We call it relational empathy." Aro said as Marcus stepped up to us.

This time it was him who touched Edward's hand, Nessie's head and my stomach.

Marcus stood back looking like Aro had just minutes ago.

"The love and compassion in this family is the strongest I have ever seen." he said.

This was starting to look REALLY good.

"However, we are not here to see the relationship connection between these people. We are here to see if these children are a threat to our society. I have seen no evidence that these children are not a threat to us. They could ruin our entire livelihood." Caius said.

And it looked bad again.

Aro sighed before looking at Caius.

"You are right, brother." Aro said before looking to me and Edward.

"I am sorry Edward, but I am afraid we are going to have to destroy them." Aro said.

I felt my entire world start to crush around me.

"WAIT!" I heard Alice scream from the staircase.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"You haven't heard, or seen, my testimony yet." she said walking down the stairs.

"I wasn't going to say anything unless it was essential to my niece and nephew, but if you're going to decide to destroy them, you need to know what I know." she concluded.

She then walked over to Aro and offered him her hand.

After a minute he looked up, shocked, into Alice's eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

To this Alice just nodded.

"But what about their ages?" he asked.

"If you noticed, Renessme was about 17, and Jacob, 18. They would stop aging when they reach the age Bella was when she had them."

Aro looked even more shocked.

"I am amazed. I never thought it was possible. And you're absolutely certain that this vision will not change?" he asked Alice.

"Absolutely." she responded.

"Give us a minute." he said before turning to Marcus and Caius.

After 5 minutes, which seemed like 5 days to me, they turned around.

"Taking into consideration everything we have seen and heard here today we have made our decision. We...will...NOT destroy the children." he said.

I breathed the biggest sigh of relief and was filled with the biggest amount of esctacy.

My children were safe! My family would NOT be destroyed!

"However...if anything happens to threaten our way of live, we WILL return." Caius said in his ice cold voice.

Killjoy.

"Now then, about Bella's humanity." Aro spoke up.

Edward stepped in front of me slightly before speaking up.

"As soon as Jacob is born I will be changing her. We were going to change her after our honeymoon, but she got pregnant whle we were gone. So for the safety of our baby, we are waiting until she has him. As soon as Jacob is born Bella WILL become a vampire and both worlds will be safe. I swear it." Edward concluded.

"Very well Edward. As long as you change her in the near future, as I saw in Alice's vision, we will have no problems." Aro said.

Edward nodded before replying, "I understand. Thank you."

"Just remember, we don't offer second chances." Caius reminded us.

At that Carlisle walked them all to the door and shook each hand as they left.

As soon as Carlisle closed the door everyone started cheering and hugging each other.

I kissed Nessie on her little cheeks before putting her down to turn into one of the most passionate and love filled kisses I have ever gotten from my husband.

We then embaced each other, reveling in the fact that our children were safe once again.

Suddenly a thought occured to me.

I pulled away from Edward's hug to go talk to Alice.

She saw me coming and pulled out of Jasper's hug to turn to me.

"Alice, is this what you were so thankful for yesterday, but you wouldn't say?" I asked her.

She smiled her little pixie smile before nodding.

"I didn't want to say anything and get your hopes up in case it changed. I'm sorry." she said.

I just hugged her.

"Don't be, you made my family safe again." I whispered in her ear.

I turned around when I heard Edward come up behind me.

He embraced me once again before we heard Nessie cry.

He took her up to change her while I got her bottles.

I walked in to see them having a conversation.

"Yes, you were very brave. Yes, you did help mommy and daddy. And little brother too yes. Well we love you too, so very much."

He looked up to see me, and smiled.

"Well, mommy is here with your food so we will talk later ok? Yes, I promise." he said kissing her head.

After I fed her Edward took her while I resituated my shirt.

He stood in the corner singing her our lullaby while I sat there and watched.

LATER THAT EVENING

We were sitting down in front of the fireplace.

Edward had me in his arms with his hand on my belly, and I had Nessie in my arms.

I looked down at Nessie, sleeping so peacefully in my arms.

Then I looked at my belly, that Edward was lightly rubbing.

Finally I looked up at my Edward.

He must have caught me staring because he looked down at me smiling.

"What?" he asked.

I kissed him before replying, "Just counting my blessings."

He smiled before kissing me again.

No long after I started feeling sleepy.

Edward could tell because he helped me stand up before he took Nessie.

I let him take her up and get her ready for bed as I waddled up the stairs slowly behind them.

I got up there just as Edward was zipping up Nessie's sleeper.

I came over and kissed her goodnight before letting them sit in the rocker to have Edward sing her to sleep as I got ready for bed.

After a hot shower I crawled into bed to wait for Edward.

A few minutes later he walked in and walked over to his dresser.

"She asleep?" I asked as Edward pulled out his sleeper pants.

He nodded as he took of his shirt.

"Yeah, took 3 songs and 2 conversations, but she's finally asleep." he said with a smile.

"So you can hear her thoughts too?" I confirmed.

"Yeah," he said with a huge grin, "It's amazing."

I smiled as he crawled in next to me.

"I'm glad." I said as he wrapped his arm around my back.

"Me too." he said kissing the top of my head.

I slept soundly that night, knowing my family was safe once again.

**YAY! EVERYONE IS SAFE AGAIN! Curious how many people thought it would go the other way. Review and let me know: Like, love or hated it? Did you see that coming? PUSH THAT BUTTON AND LET ME KNOW! I'll update sooner with reviews, I promise!**


	33. Chapter 33: Jacob and Leah Find Out

**HEY TO ALL MY READERS! First off...I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO sorry I haven't updated in FOREVER. I knew what I wanted to do with this chapter but needed some more stuff to put in it first so it wouldn't be short. I hope this makes up for it, and I promise I'll have the next chapter up in the next couple of weeks, but until then, read...enjoy...and review!**

JACOB'S POV:

I grudginly woke up as the sun beamed in my eyes. I rolled over to snuggle my girlfriend but realized the bed was noticeably girlfriend-less. I sat up wondering where she was when I heard the shower running. Needlesss to say, I had forgotten she takes a shower every morning.

But hey, we've only been in the apartment for a couple of weeks, so we're still getting used to each other's schedules and habits.

I crawled out of bed and pulled on my shirt from yesterday before heading into the kitchen to make breakfast.

I poured my cereal and milk as I heard the shower turn off.

I was just finishing the milk in the bowl when Leah walked in.

She reached into the cupboard and grabbed herself a bowl and spoon while I poured myself a cup of coffee. She hated not being able to drink coffee, but knew it was best for the baby. Still that didn't stop her from growling as I poured the sugar into my coffee.

I just smiled and chuckled to myself as I sat down next to her.

As soon as I sat down I leaned over and kissed my beautiful girlfriend.

"Mornin beautiful." I said as I settled back in my chair.

"Mornin back." she said after she emptied her mouth of cereal.

"So how's your job hunt going?" she asked bringing another spoonful to her mouth.

I sighed, put my head down and just shook my head. I had been searching since graduation for a job, but with no job experience and being fresh out of high school, not many people want to hire guys like me.

"Not good, babe. I've put in almost 20 applications in the past 3 weeks and I haven't heard from one of them." I said sadly.

I hate not being able to provide for her and the baby. She has a part-time job at the grocery store on the reservation, but I know we're not going to have enough to cover everything this month.

I looked up and smiled as she took my hand in hers and kissed the back of it before saying "Don't worry babe, you'll find a job."

Suddenly my phone began to ring. I picked it up and saw my second favorite girl's name on the caller id.

"Hey Bells." I said with a smile into the phone.

"Hey Jake, I heard you guys moved into your place a couple of weeks ago. I just wanted to call and see how things are going for you and how you're settling into you're new place." she asked.

I didn't want to confess I was worried about rent in front of Leah so...

"Yeah everything is going great. We're all settled in and everything is good." I said.

"Uh-huh...sure Jake, what's really going on?" Bella asked.

Damn, I HATE that she can tell when I'm lying.

Thankfully Leah had finished her breakfast and came over to kiss my head before telling me she was going to get dressed.

I waited til I heard the bedroom door closed before I spoke again.

"Ok, to be honest Bella, I'm worried. Rent is due in 3 weeks and I can't find a job. I must have applied at every place in town and on the reservation, but no one has called me back. I don't wanna worry Leah too much because of the baby but I'm really stressin out here." I finished in a flurry.

"Well, what kinda work are you looking for?" she asked.

"Ideally...something in a garage. I love working with cars and bikes, especially restoring them." I replied.

"Hang on a sec," she said.

I then heard her call Emmett into the room.

"What's up sis?" I heard him ask in the distance.

"Are there any openings at the garage you work at?" I heard her ask him.

"Well, a guy just quit 2 days ago so...yeah. Why?" he asked.

"Jake's looking for a job." was all she said for explaination.

"Have him meet me there in an hour. That's when my shift starts." I heard him say.

"Hey Jake you there?" Bella said talking to me again.

"Yep, still here." I replied.

"Emmett says there's an opening at the garage he works at, so meet him there in an hour." she said with a smile I could hear.

"Awesome, what's the address?" I asked grabbing a pen and writing it on my hand.

"Thanks Bells, you're awesome." I said with a smile.

"I know," she said laughing.

"I'll talk to you later." I said.

"K, bye." she said before we hung up.

I walked into the living room as Leah walked out of the bedroom.

"Hey Leah, Emmett said there's an opening at the garage he works at so I'm gonna go down and see about a job. I'll be home in time for the appointment this afternoon." I explained.

"Ok, you better be, or I'm not gonna tell you." she said with a grin.

"I'll be there, I promise. I wanna find out as bad as you do." I said kissing her before heading out the door.

The whole way to the garage I couldn't help thinking about how badly we needed for me to get this job.

Leah's job was only part time due to her pregnancy and I knew they weren't going to increase her hours til well after our baby is born. And there's no way her paychecks were going to pay for everything the 3 of us would need.

I pulled up just as I saw Emmett get out of his car. I honked at him before parking to get his attention.

"Hey man." Emmett said as I walked up to him.

"Hey." I replied as we walked into the garage.

We walked back to the door that read "Office".

Emmett knocked on the door and I heard someone inside say "Yeah?"

Emmett opened to door and said "Hey boss."

His boss must have been in his late 30s, early 40s. He had a small bald spot in the back of his head, but was in good shape. I could tell by the grease on his shirt he probably helped out in garage quite a bit.

"Hey Emmett, what can I do for you?" he asked sitting back in his chair.

"This is a friend of mine, Jacob, he's looking for a job and I thought we could use him on the team." Emmett said pointing to me.

"Ok, well Emmett you go ahead and get to work. Jacob have a seat." he said as he finished something on his computer.

After all the normal questions you would expect in an interview the boss sat back and looked at me.

"Ok Jacob, I have one more question for you. Why should I hire you?" he asked raising his eyebrows.

I thought a moment before responding.

"Cars and bikes are my life, I've been working on cars and bikes since before I was in school. I am great with my hands. I'm a very reliable and dependable person, and if hired, I promise I will not let you down." I finished.

"Well, just so you know Jacob, I give all my employees a "baseball" policy. 3 strikes and you're out. Think you can handle that?" he asked.

"Yes sir, I can" I replied.

"Good, then welcome to the team. Come back tomorrow at 10 and I'll have Emmett show you how we do things around here." he said standing up and putting his hand out.

I shook it and smiled.

"Thank you sir, you won't be dissappointed." I assured him.

"I better not be." he said with a smile as I headed out the door.

As I headed out I heard Emmett shout at me "Hey!"

I turned to see him pull his head out of a pickup trucks undercarriage.

"How did it go?" he asked.

I just smiled and said "I'll see ya tomorrow."

Emmett smiled and said "Alright, see ya then." before returning to work.

The whole way home I couldn't stop grinning. This day couldn't get any better. I just got my dream job and now, Leah and I are going to find out if we are having a boy or girl.

Leah had asked me many times if I wanted a boy or girl. My answer is always the same: doesn't matter, I'll love them no matter what.

When I got home Leah was sitting on the couch reading a pregnancy book.

She looked up as I put my keys on the table by the door.

"So how'd it go?" she asked sitting up a little.

I sat down, sighed and shook my head.

She sighed and rubbed her fingers through my hair.

"Oh baby," she said, "It's ok, you'll find a job."

"But I already did." I replied slowly grinning.

I looked at her with my ear to ear grin.

She took her book and smacked my arm.

"Ow." I said faking rubbing my arm. Having huge biceps REALLY paid off at times like this.

"You jerk. I thought you didn't get the job." she said reopening her book.

"Oh, come on babe, I gotta mess with you sometimes." I said slowly pulling her to lay on my chest.

She just smiled and kissed me before returning to her book.

A couple of hours later we were headed to our appointment.

Leah kept nervously shaking her and tapping her leg at the same time. It was one of her bad habits that I think is pretty cute.

I reached over and rubbed my hand on her leg to get her to calm down. It works every time.

"Leah Clearwater?" we heard the nurse call.

We stood up and followed her into the examination room.

Her normal doctor wasn't there, but at the last appointment she said she wouldn't be here, it would be another doctor.

"Hello Leah," said the doctor, "go ahead and lay down and we'll get started." he said as he started up the ultrasound machine.

Leah laid on the bed and I stood next to her, taking her hand in mine. We were both so excited.

After the doctor rubbed the gel on Leah's stomach we got started.

He explained each part as he got it on the screen. Our baby's arms, legs, and face.

Finally he turned to us and asked, "So do you want to know the sex?"

We both said "Yes!" so fast the doctor looked taken aback.

After a couple of minutes he finally found the baby's hips, and what was between them.

That little bit of skin in between the legs was all we needed to see.

Our little Harry Jacob Black.

"Congratulations you two, it's-"

"A boy." I whispered, but both Leah and the doctor heard me.

I looked down at Leah and her face matched mine. The pride and excitement couldn't be wiped off our faces for all the money in the world.

After the doctor finished up all the routine checks he handed me the pictures and asked if we wanted a video recorded.

Leah nodded as I walked over to her bag and grabbed the dvd out of it.

After he made the dvd he helped Leah clean off and she sat up.

"Well, congratulations again guys, and hope you two have a happy, healthy baby boy soon." the doctor said smiling.

We both thanked him before exiting the room.

As soon as we got in the car we called our parents and let them know. After I got off the phone with my dad I decided to call Bella and let them know too.

"Hello?" I heard a frantic Bella say into the phone.

"Hey Bells, how's it goin?" I asked.

"Oh hey Jake, we just got Nessie down for a nap so good at the moment," she chuckled, "So what's up?"

"Just thought I'd let you know I'm having a baby boy." I said nonchalantly.

"Oh wow Jake I'm so happy for you guys!" Bella almost shouted into the phone, "Hey you guys wanna come over for a visit? I really miss you both and hanging out with you." she asked.

"I would Bells, but you kinda live out of town so..." I said getting ready to say no.

Suddenly Bella started laughing.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you this morning: we're back in our apartment until after New Years." she said.

Needless to say I was surprised. Last I heard Carlisle had her on house arrest basically at the Cullen estate.

"Did Carlisle say it was ok?" I asked, knowing he was her gynecologist for this pregnancy.

I heard her do her embarrassed chuckle before replying, "I really didn't give him a choice. I told him this is my first Christmas with my husband and children and we are spending it in our home. But he insisted I'm back on Cullen house arrest after New Year's." she concluded sadly.

I turned to Leah and asked her silently "You wanna go visit with Edward and Bella for a bit?"

She just smiled and nodded.

So I got the address and we headed over.

The outside looked like a huge mansion, but I reminded myself this was an apartment complex so it had to be big.

Since it was a security building I had to ring the number of their apartment and have them buzz us in.

When we got into the apartment I couldn't get over how big it was. Two stories with a big living room and three bedrooms. And the kitchen and dining room seperate, unlike at our place where the table was in the kitchen.

After giving Bella a hello hug and shaking hands with Edward we all sat down and just talked about basic things, from our apartments to babies to our families.

Suddenly Bella looked at the clock and noticed it was about 5:30.

"It's getting near dinner time, you guys wanna stay for dinner?" Edward invited.

I looked at Leah with my "it's up to you" look, and she nodded.

"But only if I get to help you cook." Leah insisted.

Bella just chuckled and nodded as they headed into the kitchen.

"Two pregnant women cooking, that can't be good." I said chuckling to Edward.

He smiled, chuckled, and nodded in agreement.

Suddenly we heard Nessie through the baby monitor.

"Edward?" I heard Bella call from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'll go get her." he said getting up.

"OK." I heard her reply.

"I'll be right back." he said to me walking to the stairs.

A few minutes later Edward walked back down with Nessie in his arms and a bottle in his hand.

He sat down next to me and started feeding Nessie.

"So when's the big day?" he suddenly asked.

"Leah's due on the 12th of April." I replied quickly.

Edward laughed and said "No, I mean the wedding day."

I looked down and chuckled before confessing "I haven't actually asked her to marry me yet. I mean, I have every intention of marrying her, just haven't asked her yet."

"Well why not?" Edward asked.

"I just never really thought about it, but I've been thinking about it alot more since we got the place together." I replied.

Edward smiled and said, "You need to ask her, and marry her, Jacob."

"I know Edward, in fact, with my first good paycheck I'm planning to buy her a ring and ask her." I assured him.

Edward smiled and nodded before saying, "I'm not trying to preach to you, just giving you some advice."

"I know man, and it's ok." I said.

I looked around the place as Edward set Nessie on his shoulder to burp her.

"You know, I gotta confess Edward, I wish I could provide a place like this for Leah and Harry." I said still looking around.

"Jacob, I'm sorry if it seemed like we were rubbing it in your face earlier when we were talking about the place." Edward suddenly said.

"Oh, you didn't, but one day, I want to be able to give my family a place like this." I replied.

Suddenly we heard the ladies call that dinner was ready.

After a delicious dinner of fish, potatoes, and mixed veggies, Edward and I washed the dishes for the ladies while they doted on Nessie.

After we were done I noticed Leah looked sleepy so we called it a night, said good night and headed home.

I went and took my shower while Leah cleaned up some stuff in the living room.

When I got out I noticed the house was dark except for the bedroom light. I checked to make sure the front door was locked before heading into the bedroom.

Leah was in there, already asleep.

I turned off the side light she had on for me and crawled in next to her. Her body, out of reflex, turned and cuddled into me as soon as I was comfortable.

I just smiled and starting rubbing little Harry through Leah's shirt. I could feel my eyes getting heavy and the last thought I had before falling asleep was 'Someday, I WILL get a place like Edward and Bella's for my family.'

**SOOOOOOOOO? What do you think? I hope you all love it and this makes up for not updating. This week is gonna be busy for me, but I SHOULD have the next chapter up soon I PROMISE! Until then, PUSH THAT BUTTON PEOPLE! I WANT TO KNOW PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY READING THIS! LOVE YOU ALL!**


	34. Chapter 34: A Cullen Christmas

**AN: OK, so thank you to my faithful reviewers. I really enjoy reading your reviews and like knowing more and more people are adding my story to their favorites and alerts. As a thank you, I decided to write and post the next chapter early. SO READ AND ENJOY!**

BELLA'S POV:

I woke up to the wonderful smell of breakfast cooking. I rolled over and had my suspicions confirmed: Edward was cooking again.

I sat up, rather difficult at 4, almost 5 months pregnant, and grabbed my phone off the bedside table.

As I pushed a button to find out the time, I also saw the date: December 25th. It's Christmas day.

I smiled at the thought as I grabbed my robe and walked into the kitchen to see Edward finishing up the eggs, and Nessie in her bassinett by the sink.

I walked over and kissed Nessie's forehead, earning a smile and giggle from her, before walking over and wrapping my arms around Edward from behind.

He poured the last of the eggs onto my plate and put the skillet down before turning around to embrace me. His perfect lips fell onto mine as we shared a love filled kiss.

"Merry Chirstmas." he said as I rested my head on his chest.

"Merry Christmas to you too." I replied back.

He then kissed the top of my head before speaking. "You should eat before your food gets cold." he said.

I nodded and picked up Nessie from her bassinett as Edward put my food on the table and got our cups of coffee.

His cooking, as usual, was amazing. The eggs, bacon, and toast he fixed was absolutely perfect. Nessie chomped on a blood bottle in her daddy's arms while I ate.

After I finished eating I pushed my plate back and sat back in my seat to drink my coffee.

"Hey Edward?" I asked getting his attention.

"Yes, love?" he replied looking up.

"How set are you on the name Jacob Anthony?" I asked.

He looked at me confused. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was thinking about it the other day, and realized that if we go with our original idea we will have two Jacob's around here, and I think one is more than enough." I stated.

Edward chuckled at my comment before asking "So what did you have in mind?"

"Well, I was thinking of just switching the names around...to Anthony Jacob Cullen?" I suggested.

I could see Edward thinking about it. After about a minute he smiled and said, "I like it. I think my dad would have been happy to know we were carrying on his name."

"Great." I said with a smile. "Now hand me Nessie so I can feed her." I said taking my last sip of coffee.

While Nessie ate we reviewed that Alice and Rosalie were coming over around noon to help us cook, and for Alice, decorate. Then Carlisle and Emmett were coming by with the big table around one. We needed the bigger table because the Cullens', Blacks', Clearwaters', and dad were all coming here for dinner. And everyone else was coming by around two.

After Nessie finished eating, her and I went upstairs to get her changed. When we came back down Edward was sitting by the tree waiting for us to open presents.

Edward and I sorted the presents at to whose name was on the "To" part of the tag.

We decided since the kids obviously couldn't open their own presents I would open Nessie's and Edward would open Anthony's.

"So who's should we open first?" I asked him.

"Let's open the kids' presents first." he suggested.

"Ok, why don't you open Anthony's first, then I'll open Nessie's?" I suggested.

Edward just smiled and nodded as he opened the one I had gotten for Anthony. I had gotten him a bracelet just like his father's but a little different. The top of the crest turned to open into a locket. Inside was two picture frames. One was already filled with our wedding picture but the other side was blank, to be filled with a photo of him and Nessie that we would have taken when they were old enough.

Edward smiled and looked at me, "How did you make this?" he asked.

"I had Jacob help me with it." I said with a smile.

"Well, it's perfect." he said reaching over to the next gift.

"This is something I had Alice help me with." he said as he held up a little blue stuffed lion.

He then pushed the stomach and I could hear a edgy, but soft lullaby coming from the lion's stomach.

"I composed the lullaby and Alice helped me with the wiring." he said with a smile.

"Well, it's perfect." I said copying his comment on my gift.

We both laughed at our tiny inside joke as I realized it was now my turn to open up Nessie's gifts.

I grabbed the one Edward gave her first.

I smiled at I saw it was just like Anthony's, but instead of a blue lion, it was a baby pink, I squeezed the stomach and heard the lullaby he sings to her every night come from the lion's stomach.

I smiled and kissed his cheek, silently thanking him for the amazing gifts he had made for our children.

I then reached over and picked up the gift I had made for Nessie.

I had made a necklace for her like Rosalie's, with the Cullen crest on it, that, like her brother's, opened to a locket with our wedding picture on one side, the other side blank to be filled with a photo of them that we would have taken when they were old enough.

"Jacob help with that one too?" Edward asked with a smile.

I just nodded as I put the locket back in it's box. I knew they couldn't use the gifts from me until they were older, but they are Cullens', and the crest is a family tradition for them and I wanted to start it early for them.

I looked up to see Edward handing me his gift to me.

I opened it and smiled.

It was a Cullen crest ring, like Carlisle's. I couldn't help feeling like I was really part of the family now as I slipped the ring on my left thumb.

"Why are you smiling so big?" Edward asked sounding a little confused.

I looked up and starting tearing up, stupid hormones, "I just really feel like I'm a Cullen now." I said.

Edward just smiled and leaned over to kiss me on the cheek.

I wiped the tears away and smiled.

"Ok, your turn." I said handing his gift to him.

I saw him smile as he pulled the silver banded watch out of its case.

"Turn it over." I instructed him.

He did and read the inscription I had written outloud, "To my wonderful husband. No amount of time with you will be long enough, but let's start with forever."

He smiled as he put it on. "Thank you Bella, I love it." he said still grinning.

"You're welcome." I said.

We shared a kiss, then each gave Nessie a kiss, and then Edward leaned down and gave Anthony a kiss while I chuckled and enjoyed the moment.

After we finished cleaning up the wrapping paper I took Nessie up and settled her down for a nap while Edward cleaned up the dishes from breakfast.

Then while Nessie napped I straightened up our bedroom and the living room while Edward showered.

When he got out I went to take mine while he started setting up things I would need in the kitchen and him and Alice would need in the living room.

I didn't realize how many decorations Alice had left over here until I came into the living room. There must have been five HUGE bags of decorations.

Edward laughed at my shocked face as I looked them over.

"Just tell Alice, the simpler the better." I reminded him before going into the bedroom to get dressed.

I had just put the finishing touches on my hair when I heard our security bell buzz.

"I'll get it." I heard Edward call from the living room.

I headed downstairs and saw Alice and Rose hanging up their coats in the hall closet.

After our usual greetings and hugs Rosalie and I headed into the kitchen to start on the ham and pies while Edward and Alice headed into the living room to decorate.

About halfway through making the pies I heard the door buzz again. I knew Alice or Edward would get it.

"Hey Bells." I heard Emmett say from the dining room.

"Hey Emmett." I replied not looking up from the pie crust I was currently rolling thin.

"Merry Christmas Bella." I heard Carlisle say.

"You too Carlisle." I replied with a smile.

After they set up the table Carlisle and Emmett got recruited into helping with decorations in the living room.

Rosalie and I put the last of the pies into the fridge to get baked while we ate and put the ham in the oven just as I heard the door buzz again.

I walked into the living room to see Jacob and Leah come in. We all greeted and hugged each other as Emmett hung up their coats.

I then heard Nessie cry through the baby monitor.

"I'll go get her!" Alice volunterred dashing up the stairs.

While Alice was upstair getting Nessie ready we all sat down to compare our mornings.

I found out Jacob had gotten Leah a beautiful silver necklace with a wolf pendant, he gave Seth his first hunting tags, gave Sue a nice ring, and his dad some new fishing rods.

Leah had given Jacob a wrist brace like the ones Edward, Emmett, and Jasper have, but it has their wolf symbol where our crest would be, she gave Seth their dad's fishing rods, and her mom the last family photo they had taken with their dad.

"Oh, Bella, before I forget," Jacob said standing up and grabbing a bag by his feet, "Merry Christmas." he said handing it to me.

I opened the bag to see a gift in there. Edward held the bag as I pulled out two mobiles, one with blue painted wolves, the other pink.

"I made them for the kids." Jacob said with a grin.

"Jacob, they're amazing. Thank you." I said hugging him.

"And for you, I have this." he said handing me a smaller box.

I opened it to find a bracelet with a wolf on it.

"I made the bracelet myself, Leah helped with the mobiles." he said as he helped me get the bracelet on.

"Thanks again Jake." I said hugging him again.

Jacob then walked over to Edward.

"Edward, I know things have never been easy between us, but we've been able to come together to overcome many things in the past. As Alpha Male in my pack I have put before the pack a proposition that they all have agreed to. I would now like to propose it to you. I would like to offer to you, and your entire family, a full and complete truce. No more treaty, no more treaty line that can't be passed by either party, just a mutual respect and treaty." Jacob concluded holding out his hand.

Edward looked at Jacob's hand, then into Jacob's eyes, and then reached up...and shook Jacob's hand.

"That's sound wonderful to me Jacob." he said smiling.

Jacob smiled too, and they shared a "bro-hug".

"Merry Christmas Edward." Jacob said.

"Merry Christmas Jacob." Edward said smiling.

"Awwww, isn't that sweet?" we all heard Alice coo from the stairs as she and Nessie came down the stairs.

This caused all of us to laugh and turned the moment back to normal.

Not long after this wonderful moment I heard the door buzz yet again.

This time it was Billy, Sue, Seth, and dad.

Right behind them were Esme and Jasper.

Carlisle had offered to hang up the coats this time.

After even more greeting and hugs we all sat down and found out what gifts everyone else had exchanged.

I knew the Cullen's didn't exchange gifts. They had been together for so many Chirstmas' that it had slowly faded from their traditions.

Seth had been busy in his shop class this year. He made his mom a new wodden clock, his sister some wodden picture frames, and Jacob a wooden wolf statue.

Sue had given Leah a new crib and crib sheets for Harry, Seth had gotten his first hunting gun, to go with the hunting tags Jacob had given him, as well as the family knife that Harry was originally going to hand down to him, and Leah had given Jacob a dreamcatcher for their family, and had gotten Charlie some new fishing gear.

Dad had given Sue a nice necklace with a small diamond for the pendant, and he had gotten Billy tickets to an upcoming Mariners game.

And Billy had given Charlie a new Mariner's jersey, and had given Jacob a painting that Jacob's great grandmother had painted of the original Wolf Pack as was described to her by his great grandfather.

"And Bella, these are for you guys." Charlie said pointing to the gifts next to him.

Edward opened the gifts for the children while I opened my gift. Dad had gotten a baby blue and baby pink teddy bear for Nessie and Anthony, and gotten me a new journal.

"Thanks dad, they're perfect." I said hugging him.

"You're welcome sweetie." he replied before walking over to Edward.

"Edward, this is for you. It's my family's knife. My great grandfather made this knife, and each generation must hand it down to the firstborn son shortly after they know the family name will be carried on. Since Bella is my only child, you're the closest we have to a 'firstborn son' in this generation. And we know your son is carrying on your family name so now... this knife is yours, but it comes with a responsibility. You must tell your son about the knife's legacy when you hand it down to him." Charlie concluded handing the knife to Edward.

"I promise to tell my son about it. Thank you Charlie, this is a great honor." Edward said holding out his hand.

Charlie smiled and shook it with a smile.

"Oh dad, before I forget," I said getting the last gift from under the tree.

He opened it to find the new fish cleaning tools I got him for Christmas.

"Thanks Bells, I really needed this." he said giving me a hug.

"You're welcome dad." I said smiling.

Suddenly I looked at the clock and realized we needed to start the side dishes so dinner would all get done at the same time.

Esme and Rose came into the kitchen to help me with the sides while everyone else relaxed and caught up in the living room.

Dinner was filled with talking, laughing and many compliments on the food.

After dinner Rose volunteered to get Nessie ready for her second nap while Jacob, Edward, and Seth volunterred to clean up since Esme, Rose and I had done all the cooking.

After cleanup everyone thanked Edward and I for hosting such a wonderful Christmas as they started head home.

After Alice and Jasper ended the parade of people leaving I walked over to the couch where Edward was sitting and cuddled into his chest.

As we just sat there, enjoying each other's company and Anthony's movements, I couldn't help thinking about how happy I was that our first real Christmas as a family went so perfectly.

**Well? I really enjoyed writing this chapter and hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Let me know what you think by PUSHING THAT BUTTON PEOPLE! LOVE YOU ALL!**


	35. Chapter 35: Valentine's Day

**AN: HEY EVERYONE, SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE, I HAVE NO EXCUSES THIS TIME. I REALLY WANTED TO GET THIS CHAPTER OUT TONIGHT, AS IT IS ABOUT VALENTINES DAY, I REALLY HOPE YOU ENJOY IT.**

BELLA'S POV: 

I woke up once again to the smell of breakfast being cooked. I carefully rolled out of bed and wrapped my robe around my 6 month pregnant belly before heading into the kitchen to see my husband and daughter cooking.

Edward had gotten into the habit of getting out of bed when Nessie "called" him with her mind, then he would get her dressed and changed before setting her in her little jumper in the kitchen while he cooked. I liked it because it gave me time to sleep and then wake up, and it gave Edward and Nessie some "daddy and me" time.

We had also talked Carlisle into letting us stay in our home, but I had to come see him every week to make sure everything was normal. And if anything changed we were to come back to their house until after Anthony was born. And it felt REALLY good to wake up in my own bed in my own home every morning.

I stood in the doorway just watching them for a few minutes.

"Yes, I'm sure mommy will love your idea for breakfast." Edward chuckled to Nessie.

"What?" Edward asked before looking up at me.

He smiled, "You're right Nessie, mommy is standing there watching us."

I grinned before leaning down to kiss Nessie's smiling, drooling face. She was breaking in some new teeth so she was drooling alot.

"Good morning my precious." I said to her before standing up.

"And hello to you too." I said wrapping my arms around Edward's waist as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"Good morning beautiful." he said kissing the top of my head.

"And happy Valentine's day too." he said as we held each other.

"Happy Valentine's to you too." I said smiling.

Edward laughed before looking at Nessie.

"You're right, mommy's food will probably get cold if she doesn't eat soon." Edward said walking over to her.

He picked her up and set her in her highchair as I sat down at the table.

Nessie and I talked while Edward got my plate and our coffees.

"How did you sleep?" I asked her.

In return I got a laugh, some babble, and gurgles. No matter what, she always made me smile.

"As a gift to you today, I'm paying for a spa day at the Forks Beauty Salon." Edward told me handing Nessie her blood bottle.

"I'm not really into the whole spa thing though Edward." I said taking a fork and stabbing my eggs.

"I know, but you have done so much for me and Nessie, we both agree you deserve it. And while you're gone my little lady and I are going to treat you by cleaning the whole place." he said smiling at her. She replied by smiling and gurgling some more.

"Also, tonight Alice is coming by to get Nessie so we can have a little Valentine's for ourselves." he concluded drinking his coffee.

"That sounds really nice." I said with a smile.

It had been a while since we had a night all to ourselves, and I missed our intimacy. Mostly because I was so exhausted by the time we got to bed we didn't have any time, he just held me and sang to me as I fell asleep.

I couldn't help but notice the wiry grin that crossed my husband's face as I said my last comment.

After I finished my breakfast Edward handed Nessie to me so she could eat while he cleaned up breakfast.

I know it may seem like Edward does everything around the house, but mostly he does the cooking and kitchen work, I do the rest, and we both split the things Nessie needs.

As Edward came back in from cleaning the dishes Nessie detached from me and smiled at both of us.

I kissed the top of her head as I sat her back up.

"I'll go change her if you want to go take your shower." Edward said coming over to us.

I just nodded before standing up, kissing both my loves, and handing Nessie to Edward.

After my shower I went to get dressed. While passing her room, I heard Edward and Nessie in there getting her dressed for the day.

I just picked a simple maternity shirt and pants and walked over to the bed to get my shoes on.

As I sat there I realized, once again, my stomach was too big for me to get my own shoes on.

"Edward!" I called down the hall.

A moment later he was in the doorway.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I just held up my shoe and pouted my bottom lip out.

He smiled and chuckled as he walked over and picked the shoe up out of my hand.

"There you are my Cinderella." he said as he doubled knotted my last shoe and stood up to help me up.

"Thank you, my Prince Charming." I said kissing him.

"You should get going to your appointment." he said as we embraced.

"Ok, call me if you two need anything?" I asked walking to Nessie's room.

"Of course, but we'll be ok, right Nessie?" he asked.

She smiled at both of us and giggled from her little walker in her room.

I just chuckled before leaning down and kissing her head.

"I'll see you soon, be good and help your daddy out today." I said.

Edward walked me to the door.

"Have a nice time, enjoy yourself." he suggested.

"I'll try." I said kissing him and heading out the door.

EDWARD'S POV:

I walked back into Nessie's room to see her drooling on her teether on her walker.

"So should we do laundry, the bathroom, living room, or the bedrooms first?" I asked her.

_"All of it at once daddy!" _she replied.

I laughed and bent down so we were at eye level.

"That's not possible baby, even for daddy." I explained.

_"But daddy, you're super duper fast, you can do anything." _she argued.

"Except that," I said kissing her head.

"Let's start the laundry, then we will work on the bathroom, then living room and save the bedrooms for last ok?" I asked her.

_"OK!" _she responded jumping up and down in her walker.

I laughed and kissed her before moving her into the laundry room.

I told her everything I was doing, from the soap to the clothes to starting it up.

After we started the laundry I rolled her, in her walker, into the bathroom doorway while I cleaned.

I had just finished mopping when I heard her again.

_"Daddy, I tired."_ she said rubbing her eyes.

I kissed her head before picking her up, taking her to her room, changing her diaper, and laying her down for her nap.

"Sleep, I'll come get you when you wake up." I told her stroking her auburn hair.

_"I know daddy, night night." _she said rolling over to grab the lion I gave her for Christmas.

"Night night baby." I said turning on the lion so it would sing to her.

While she napped I got the living room straightened and vaccummed, the kitchen cleaned and mopped, at least 2 loads of laundry, one in the washer, one in the dryer, and had mine and Bella's room almost straightened up.

_"Daddy!" _I heard as I laid the last pillow on our bed.

"Hey beautiful girl." I said walking over to her.

_"Hi daddy, I think I'm icky." _she said looking sad.

I smiled at her and picked her up to check her diaper.

"Yes sweetie, you are." I told her as I unwrapped her diaper.

_"Daddy clean me?" _she asked me with her big golden eyes.

"Of course I will princess." I said kissing her head.

As soon as I got her pants back on she caught my attention again.

_"Daddy, I hungry." _she told me as we walked into the hallway.

"Ok baby, let's go get you your bottles. Which do you want first?" I asked her as I pulled out Bella's milk and a blood package from the fridge.

_"Blood please. My mouth burns." _she said getting fidgety in her seat.

I just chuckled as I screwed the lid on her bottle.

"Here you go sweetheart." I said handing her the bottle.

_"Ta-ta daddy." _she said sticking the bottle in her mouth.

"You're welcome princess." I told her kissing her head.

I put her in her bouncer and carried her into the bedroom to finish straightening up.

We had just walked into her room when she held up her bottle to me.

_"All gone, I need mommy's now." _she said with her perfect pouty face.

"Ok baby, I'll be right back." I told her going into the kitchen to get the milk bottle.

_"Ta-ta daddy." _she said as I handed her the milk bottle.

"You're welcome again baby." I said straightening her stuffed animals.

About an hour later the house was looking perfect, almost all the laundry was folded or drying, and I was just starting dinner when I heard the door open.

"Hey you guys here somewhere?" I heard my perfect wife call from the living room.

_"Mommy!" _Nessie started trying to jump out of her bouncer though she was strapped in.

"We're in here love!" I called putting dinner in the oven and closing the door.

"Hey baby!" Bella said squatting down to kiss Nessie.

_"Hi mommy!" _she said smiling at her mommy.

_"Daddy, tell mommy I wanna say hi too." _I heard Anthony tell me.

"Anthony wants to say hi to everyone too." I said walking over to my ladies.

"Hello my little boy." Bella said rubbing her swollen belly.

"We both love you." I said leaning down to kiss her belly.

_"What about me?" _Nessie asked me.

I laughed before picking her up and putting her between us.

"We both love you too." I said before Bella and I both kissed her cheeks at the same time.

Suddenly I heard the front door open again.

"Where's my little niece?" I heard Alice call walking into the kitchen.

"Hey Alice, we're in the kitchen." I said putting Nessie in Bella's arms.

"I'll go pack her bag." Bella told me taking Nessie in the room with her.

"Hey big bro." Alice said giving me a hug.

"Hey sis." I said hugging her back.

"So you looking forward to tonight?" she asked raising her eyebrows and grinning.

"You're hanging out with Emmett too much." I said laughing.

"True, but that doesn't answer my question." she said sitting on the counter.

"Yeah, I am, I mean, Bella does so much for me, Nessie and Anthony. If I can do something small to make her feel special and beautiful, it's all worth it." I said smiling.

"You truly are perfect for her." Alice said smiling.

"Thanks Alice." I said grinning.

"Ready to go." Bella said walking into the kitchen.

"Great! Say good night to mommy and daddy Nessie." Alice said taking the bag and Nessie's lion and blanket from Bella.

We both kissed Nessie good night before I walked Alice to the door.

"Alice, thanks for doing this for us. It really means alot to have quiet time with Bella." I said smiling.

"Not a problem, if you ever need it, just call me. Everyone loves spending time with her." Alice said kissing her cheek.

"But I gotta go so, goodnight." Alice said opening the door.

"Goodnight." I said closing it behind them.

I walked over to the couch where Bella sat.

I sat on the other side and let her crawl into my lap.

"So how was the spa?" I asked starting to stroke her hair.

"Relaxing, but it felt weird to have someone dote on each and every thing I need." she said intertwining our fingers.

"You deserved it though." I reminded her kissing her head.

She just nodded before resting her head on my shoulder.

We just sat there, enjoying each other's company, while I rubbed her belly.

Anthony was asleep. I could tell because he wasn't talking to me.

About an hour later I kissed her cheek before speaking up.

"I have to go start our sides for dinner." I told her.

"Ok, I wanna go take a shower anyways." she told me heading to the bathroom.

Shortly after I finished the sides I heard the shower turn off.

She walked into the kitchen, smiling.

"Dinner's almost done." I told her checking the lasagna in the oven.

"You fixed alot of food for just me." she commented.

"Well, I'm actually going to eat with you tonight." I told her walking over to her.

"But won't you get sick later?" she asked getting concerned.

"Yes, but tonight is worth it. I fixed a wonderful dinner for US, and I want to enjoy it with you." I told her embracing her.

"Ok, so I'll clean up after dinner then?" she asked.

I just nodded. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep the food in my system long, but she was worth it.

During dinner we didn't talk much, just enjoyed the food.

After dinner, like Bella had predicted, she cleaned the dishes while I got sick in the bathroom.

I came into the kitchen and saw Bella rub her eye, signaling she was getting tired.

"You wanna go to bed?" I asked as I came up and hugged her from behind.

She just nodded as she turned to hug me.

We crawled into bed and just cuddled for a few minutes before I turned her to give her a passionate kiss.

"Well aren't we passionate tonight." Bella said suggestively.

"We haven't had time for this in a long time. I miss you." I told her shifting us so our chests were touching, but I wasn't laying on Anthony.

"I miss you too." she said before I kissed her and we started slowly making love.

JACOB'S POV:

I felt bad about today. I had to work all day and couldn't do anything with Leah til after I got off work.

I stopped at the florist and got her favorite flowers, lillies, before heading home.

"Leah?" I called walking into the apartment.

"I'll be out in a sec." I heard her call from the bathroom.

I sorted through the mail while I waited for her to come out.

"Hey baby." she said getting my attention.

"Hey back." I said kissing her.

I then noticed her robe and still dripping hair.

"You showered, great. Go get dressed, I'm taking you out to dinner tonight." I told her running into the bedroom to pick out some clothes.

I settled on some black slacks, a dark red button up shirt, and my black leather coat.

After my shower I got dressed and met Leah in the living room.

She was wearing a black skirt, lavender shirt, and her button up jean coat.

I walked over to her smiling.

"You're beautiful." I reminded her kissing her.

"You're not too bad youself." she replied before kissing me again.

"You ready?" I asked her grabbing the keys to the car.

She just nodded as we headed out the door.

I took her to La Belle Italia for dinner. Edward had suggested it.

I was so nervous, knowing what I was about to do.

"Leah, I gotta ask you something." I said getting even more nervous.

"Ok." she said giving me her full attention.

"Leah, you've been the most amazing thing to happen to me this year. You got me to let go of Bella, you helped me to take up my place as Alpha of the pack, and you've given me one of the greatest gifts ever." I said rubbing her swollen belly.

"But there's one more thing I need you to help me with." I said shakily getting down on one knee.

I saw her eyes get as big as saucers before I reached into my jacket pocket.

I opened the box and displayed to her my mother's ring.

"Leah Clearwater, will you marry me?" I asked feeling my entire body shake.

"Yes, of course I will Jake." Leah said starting to cry.

I grinned ear to ear before jumping up to kiss her and place the ring on her finger.

I couldn't stop smiling the rest of the night. She had just made me the happiest person in the world.

After dinner we went back home. I let her pick out a movie while I went to pop some popcorn.

I walked in to see _27 Dresses _menu on the screen.

"Really?" I asked sitting down next to her.

"Hey, you let me pick, deal with it." she said grabbing some popcorn out of the bowl.

But halfway through the movie I noticed that Leah was fast asleep.

I turned off the tv and dvd player and then gently carried her to bed.

I laid her down and then quietly headed out to lock the door and turn off all the lights before I headed back to her.

I crawled into bed and wrapped my arm around her waist as I laid down.

I felt around til I found her left hand, and the ring on her finger. I smiled and closed my eyes, thinking about how I am the happiest and luckiest man in the world tonight.

**SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO? WHAT DO YOU THINK? PUSH THAT BUTTON AND LET ME KNOW!**


	36. Chapter 36: Welcome Harry

**HEY READERS! Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. I really enjoyed writing it and I'm glad you enjoyed reading it. I am also happy for this next chapter and hope you enjoy it too. The title gives away what's going to happen but I hope you enjoy it anyway.**

JACOB'S POV:

I had just put on my jumpsuit and was heading into the garage when I heard my manager call my name.

"Jacob, can you come in here a sec?" he said from his office.

I had been doing a great job at work, so I had no idea what he wanted as I walked in.

"What's up?" I asked as I closed the door behind me.

"You've been doing an amazing job the past few months. You know more about cars and engines than most of my veteran mechanics. I haven't told anyone else about this, but my assistant manager is retiring soon. He's almost 60 and he even has admitted he's getting too old for this job." he finished.

"Ok, no offense, but why are you telling me this?" I asked not getting where he was going with this.

He just slightly smiled before replying.

"How would you like to take over his job? Be my assistant manager?" he asked.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I knew I was good, but not THIS good.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Positive. Although, I will admit, I asked Emmett first, but he said his family may be moving soon and 'besides you're a better mechanic than him'."

His family is moving soon? I better talk to Bella about that.

But later, right now I had an important decision to make.

"Yeah, I'd like that." I told my manager smiling.

"Great." he said with a smile. "Well, why don't you go get to work and I'll get started on some paperwork I'll have you come fill out later on." he said turning to his computer.

"Ok," I said standing up and heading out the door.

I saw Emmett working on a pickup we had come in late last night as I walked into the garage.

I looked at the paperwork we had to see what needed to be worked on.

There was a Crown Victoria with a steering problem, a Cavalier with a clicking sound in the engine, and a Cadillac that just needed an oil change.

I decided to start with the Crown Vic and see what was left when I was done.

I was almost finished with the basic inspection when Emmett came over.

"Hey man, need any help?" he asked.

"Yeah I think so, but first I wanted to ask you about something?" I said standing up.

"Sure what's up?" he asked.

"What's this I hear about the family's moving soon?" I asked him.

"Well, we all knew it was just a matter of time, but we think our time here's just about up. Carlisle wants to stay til Bella has her baby since he's overlooking her pregnancy but we're going to be moving shortly after that." he said looking sad.

"You don't want to leave?" I asked him.

"It's not that, I'm just really gonna miss Edward, Bella and the kids." he said.

"Wait, they're not moving?" I asked confused.

"They are, just moving somewhere else. Edward said he thinks it will be less conspicious since me, Rose, Alice, and Jasper pretend to be highschool students and he and Bella are parents, it would be pretty strange." he concluded.

"So where are they moving to?" I asked curious.

"I don't think they're going to make that decision til after the baby's born. But I think Edward's going to choose somewhere secluded since he has to change Bella after they move." he explained.

"Ok, well, I'll stop by and talk to Bella after work I guess." I said realizing we needed to get back to work.

After work I stopped into the office to fill out some paperwork I needed to have on file for my new assistant management position.

As I headed out to the car I texted Leah letting her know I was stopping by to talk to Bella about some stuff, then I would be home.

After I got a confimation text from her I dialed Bella's cell number.

"Hey Jake." she said. I could tell she had a smile by the way she greeted me.

"Hey Bells, I was wondering if I could come by for a few. I was talking to Emmett about some stuff today at work I wanted to ask you about." I asked.

"Just a sec," I heard her say, "Hey Jake wants to come by, do we have enough time before dinner?" I heard her ask Edward.

I'm guessing he nodded because she got back on the line a second later and said, "Yeah, you can come on over."

"Great, I'll be there in a few." I said starting up the car.

I buzzed the number for their apartment before hearing Bella say through the monitor "Come on up.", followed by the buzz of the door release.

I knocked once on the door only to be greeted with a pregnant hug.

"Hey buddy." she said smiling.

"Hey Bells." I said shutting the door behind me.

"So how have you been?" she asked as we sat down.

"Great actually. I don't know if you heard or not but Leah and I are engaged, and I just got promoted to assistant manager at work." I said with a smile.

"I had heard about Leah, your future mother-in-law told me, but I hadn't heard about work. Congratulations on both." she said hugging me again.

"Thanks. You know now that I think about it, Sue's gonna be both your and my mother-in-law. She's marrying your dad, and I'm marrying her daughter. That's kinda wierd huh?" I asked getting a kick out of this.

"So does that mean we're gonna be step-brother and sister-in-law or something like that?" she asked with a smile.

"Something like that, I guess so." I said with a grin.

"So that means you're now related to the Cullen's you realize. Since I'm married to Edward." Bella said with a grin as big as mine.

"Oooh, not sure how I feel about that." I said jokingly.

We both shared a laugh about the whole conversation.

When I finally caught my breath I realized something.

"Where's Edward and Nessie?" I asked.

"Edward's giving Nessie a bath. I usually do it, but I'm getting too big to bend down and get back up without help." she explained.

"Yeah, Leah's having that same problem, especially with her due date being less than 2 weeks away." I said feeling empathy towards Bella.

"So what did you want to talk about Jake?" Bella asked me.

"Oh yeah, Emmett said something about the family's moving after the baby is born, but you and Edward are moving somewhere else?" I asked.

"Yeah, Carlisle and the family are moving to Alaska, they want to spend time with their family up north. Me and Edward are just moving down to Seattle, but we're telling everyone we're moving to New York for Edward to study for a doctor career. Now Edward will still be studying for a doctor career, just not in New York." she concluded.

"Why just Seattle, aren't you worried someone will see you and recognize you?" I asked confused.

"Edward's been at this for years, he will be studying from home on an online course and we will be having groceries delivered to the house so we don't have to leave so no one will find out. And I'm not ready to completely leave yet, I don't know why, but it's almost like I don't want to leave you and Leah yet. This way, we hopefully can make everything work. If someone does catch on, we're gonna move as soon as possible though." she said.

"I know what you mean, I don't want to see you guys leave yet either, but I'll help out as much as I can." I said smiling.

"Thanks Jake." she said smiling again.

"Was that all you wanted?" she asked.

"Actually, I also wanted to ask about your 'changing'?" I asked putting quote marks around "changing".

"Yeah?" she asked encouraging me to go on.

"Emmett said it's going to be shortly after the baby's born and you move?" I asked to confirm.

"That's right." she confirmed for me.

"Well, what about the baby? I mean, isn't he gonna need breast milk?" I asked.

"There's such a think as formula." she said with a smile.

"Why so soon though?" I asked confused.

"Well you remember me telling you about when the Volturi came a few months ago?" she asked.

I just nodded in confimation.

"Well, we promised that I would be changed shortly after Anthony's born, and we have to make good on our end of the deal." she explained.

"Ah, ok. But how are you going to manage for that first year of transformation?" I asked getting a little confused.

"We're getting a place just outside of the city near the forest. That way we can both hunt without anyone noticing, and Edward is going to help me curb my thirst right from the beginning. And don't worry, since both children are half-vampire they are not in any danger from me either." Bella concluded with a smile.

"You've really thought all this through." I said surprised.

"We've been planning it since just after our honeymoon, just haven't said anything because we haven't had to yet." she said with a smile.

"Well, vampire or human, you will still be important to me." I said with a smile.

"Thanks Jake, that means alot to me." she said before hugging me once more.

I looked up to see Edward and Nessie coming down the stairs.

"Jacob." Edward said in a greeting tone.

"Edward." I said back in the same tone.

"Bella, she needs to eat, and I need to fix you dinner." he said handing Nessie to Bella.

"I gotta get going too, Leah will have dinner ready soon." I said standing up.

Suddenly my phone rang. I looked at the caller id before smiling.

"Speaking of which," I said as I opened my phone.

"Hey beautiful." I said with a smile.

"Jake, I need you home NOW!" Leah said with panic in her voice.

"Why? Baby, what's wrong?" I asked getting genuinely scared.

"My water just broke, the baby's coming!" she said before groaning from what I would guess was a contraction.

"Ok, stay calm, you're bag's in the car as is the carseat, I'll call your family on the way to get you and they will meet us there." I said quickly.

"Ok, just hurry." she said panting.

"Don't worry babe I'll be there soon, I love you." I said.

"I love you too." she said before we hung up.

"I gotta go, Leah's in labor." I said rushing to the door.

I barely heard Bella shout "Good luck" before the door shut behind me.

We had been in the hospital for almost 6 hours now.

It was almost midnight and after many cups of coffee and too many contractions according to Leah, she was pushing.

"Come on baby, you can do it, you're almost there." I whispered in her ear as she pushed again.

"Jacob's right, just a couple more pushes." the doctor said from between Leah's legs.

"Jacob, I'm so tired." Leah said between contractions.

"I know baby, but you're almost there, just a couple more." I reminded her looking in her eyes.

She just nodded before pushing again.

When the doctor told her to stop she asked for another piece of ice. I quickly put another piece in her mouth before the doctor told her, "Ok Leah, one more push."

I held her hand and counted for her when the doctor suddenly told her to stop.

I looked down just in time to see Harry almost fall into the doctor's arms.

Even though he was covered in blood and different kinds of liquids, he was the most amazing thing I have ever seen.

I cut the umbilical cord before they carried him over to get him checked out.

I turned to Leah with the biggest grin on my face. My cheeks hurt, I was smiling so big.

I kissed her head before looking into her eyes.

"He's perfect, you did a great job baby." I told her.

She was too exhausted to talk so she just nodded.

After they had taken care of Leah's post pregnancy they handed Harry to her.

He already had a little fuzz of jet black hair on top of his head and looked alot like my baby pictures I noticed.

I sat up next to Leah on the bed and she delicately moved Harry so he was resting on my arm perfectly between us.

I couldn't help leaning down to kiss his tiny forehead, he was just so perfect.

I heard Sue call for us to look up before she took our first picture as a family.

A family.

Harry and Leah were the start of my perfect little family.

This was by far the greatest moment of my life. I knew I would remember this forever.

**WELL THERE IT IS! I LOVE writing the happy moments after baby's are born because it always takes me back to the day my little girl was born. The esctasy of that moment is something no mother ever forgets I think. Let me know what you thought, Like, Love, or Hate, any way you see it...PUSH THAT BUTTON PLEASE!**


	37. Chapter 37: A Family is Completed

**HEY TO ALL MY READERS! SO I REALIZED THE OTHER DAY THAT THIS STORY IS ALMOST COMPLETE. AND IT'S REALLY BITTERSWEET FOR ME, I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS STORY FOR OVER 2 YEARS NOW AND I LOVE WHERE IT'S GONE AND THAT YOU ALL LOVE IT. AND I ALREADY HAVE ANOTHER STORY PANNED OUT TO START WRITING. BUT I'M ALSO SAD TO CLOSE THE BOOK ON THIS ONE. I JUST HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY THESE LAST FEW CHAPTERS AND WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW MY STORIES I DO IN THE FUTURE.**

**OK, DONE WITH THE MINI "ME" SECTION, READ ON AND ENJOY THIS CHAPTER!**

BELLA'S POV:

I felt like I was under house arrest.

Carlisle had insisted, AGAIN, that Edward, Nessie and I move into their house until I had the baby. I was just days away from my due date so he wanted me as close to him, and the delivery room he had, as possible. He wouldn't let me leave the house without Edward in case I went into labor, so Edward would be able to get me back immediately. He wouldn't let me go to the reservation because he was worried it was too far away from the house. He even was reluctant about me going to see Charlie today, but I had pacified him by telling him Edward was going with me.

But it wasn't bothering just me. Edward hated being cooped up as well.

When we were at our place, on nice days when it was safe for Edward, we had gotten into the habit of taking Nessie to the park, or at least out for a walk. Here, we didn't have that opportunity and I could tell it really bugged him.

He, like myself, really felt those were the moments that were special. Our "family" moments.

And this situation wasn't just inconvient for us.

Jacob and Leah had just had Harry on March 23rd, so he was only 7 weeks old and they had to come out to the Cullen's house for us to visit and see the baby.

The drive alone took them a little over a hour just to get here.

And due to that the visits were pretty short. But that was mostly due to the fact that Leah and Jacob were still adjusting to "family life" and were still getting very little sleep, and thus, were so tired they were sometimes almost falling asleep by the time the visits were over. More than once I had insisted Edward drive them home, then run back.

But there were some perks to living at the Cullens' again.

Alice and Rosalie got to spend alot of time with Nessie, Emmett and Jasper got to spend alot of time with Edward, and I enjoyed the time I had with Esme comparing baby stories and hearing all her sage advice from over the years. She had been giving me alot of advice on family, marriage, vampirism, and just life in general. It was times like this I really missed having Renee close by to talk to.

But I knew she was busy with Phil and Joshua, especially since Joshua was now about a year and a half old and "getting into everything" to quote mom's last email. Plus she had mentioned something about starting to write a book the last time I was down there.

And to be honest I was working on slowly severing all the human ties I had for when Edward changed me.

Like today we were going to see Charlie and Sue.

They had gotten married a few weeks ago, on April 10th. It was a small, simple wedding, just family and close friends, and it was really nice.

Edward, Jacob and I had a good laugh about one thing though: At the wedding Leah caught the bouquet, but Seth caught the garter.

I was happy that Charlie had Sue now. He wouldn't admit it, but I knew he was lonely when I moved out.

And knowing he was happy and had someone again made me feel more at ease about the fact that in a little over two months I would never be able to see him again. We would be able to talk on the phone, but he would never again see me face to face.

Edward and I had finally decided: we were going to have Anthony, celebrate Nessie's first birthday and stick around for Jacob and Leah's wedding, then we were headed to Seattle.

We had found a place just outside of the city close to the woods, so Edward and I would be able to hunt without drawing attention to ourselves.

Everything was slowly coming together.

"Bella? We need to get going." Edward's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

Like I said, we were going to see Charlie and Sue today. We were going over for lunch and conversation.

And as I looked at the clock I realized if we didn't leave now we weren't going to be there in time.

Edward set Nessie in her carseat while I grabbed her bag, then we headed out the door.

Sue and I fixed lunch while Edward and Charlie watched the baseball game on tv. Thankfully Charile and Edward were both Mariners fans so it was rather quiet in the living room.

Talking to Sue was easy. We talked about life, marriage, and she listened to my baby woes with an open ear and heart.

When we sat down for lunch Edward was "conveniently" not that hungry and thus just fed Nessie her baby food and bottle while the rest of us ate the chicken salad Sue and I had made.

After lunch we sat Nessie in her carseat for her nap while we all just sat there watching tv.

I looked at my dad and realized just how much I was going to miss him.

He had been there for me so much in the past few years and even though he didn't say it, I knew how much he loved me.

I realized that the day I had Nessie and held her in my arms for the first time. I truly understood in that moment the idea of unconditional, unending love. The love of a parent.

I enjoyed the fact that these were moments when nothing needed to be said. We were all comfortable with each other enough to be in the same room and not say a word.

The game had just finished when I noticed Nessie start to stir in her carseat.

"We should get her home before she needs her 'special' bottle." Edward whispered in my ear.

I nodded in agreement before starting to stretch.

Edward and I had noticed, when Nessie gets thirsty her eyes get dark, just like her daddy, so we needed to get her back before Charlie noticed.

Charlie must have seen me start to get up.

"You heading out?" he asked.

I just nodded as I attempted to sit up with my very swollen belly.

I heard Edward lightly chuckle as he gently pushed me up into a sitting position.

"Yeah, we need to get home for dinner." I made up as I got in the position to try to stand up.

This time Charlie came to my rescue, helping me to stand up as Edward closed up Nessie's diaper bag and picked up her carseat, with her in it.

I gave Charlie and Sue both a hug, while Edward shook Charlie's hand and gave Sue a hug, before we headed for the door.

When we got home Alice offered to feed Nessie while Edward and I went to go take a shower. Due to my stomach being so huge we weren't able to have any "fun" in the shower, but we liked the privacy and intimacy we got when we took a shower together.

After our shower I headed downstairs to find something to eat.

I smiled when I saw Rosalie and Emmett playing with Nessie in the living room. Rose was unable to have children, so every moment she got with Nessie was precious to her, as well as Emmett. Every time I saw them alone with Nessie I knew that, if Rose and Emmett were human, they would have been amazing parents.

I had just finished up dinner when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

I opened it to see a text message from my mom.

'Hey sweetie, I miss you. Give me a call soon?'

I deleted the message and dialed her familar number.

"Hello?" I heard her pick up.

"Hey mom." I greeted her.

"Bella! It's so good to hear your voice." she said, the smile evident in her voice.

"You too mom." I replied, feeling Anthony do the flips in my stomach.

"Anthony says hi too." I said starting to rub my belly.

"How close to your due date are you?" she asked sounding anxious.

"Less than a week. I could pop any day now." I replied.

"Oh wow! Are you and Edward excited?" she asked, getting excited.

"Yeah," I replied smiling, "We're both excited to meet him. We can't wait."

"I'm so glad sweetie. I hope you're delivery goes smoothly again." she said.

"Thanks, it should be pretty smooth. I'm not too worried." I assured her.

I felt my back get sore and knew I needed to go lay down in bed soon.

"So how's Josh doing?" I asked heading for the stairs.

"Good, he's getting into everything though. It seems when I finally child-proof one thing, he gets into another." she said laughing.

I chuckled knowing my turn was coming soon enough.

"Is Nessie talking or walking yet?" she asked me.

"Not yet, she's cruising along the furniture and using her garbled baby talk, but nothing yet." I told her as I opened the door to our bedroom.

Edward wasn't in there, but the bed looked so comforting I just fell into it.

"I really miss you baby." she said, bringing a tear to my eye.

Moments like this made me realize how hard it was going to be to say good-bye in just a few months.

"I miss you too mom. Alot." I said trying to get the lump back down my throat.

Suddenly Edward walked in and just sat next to me, rubbing my back and soothing me.

I held his hand, using his comfort to calm me back down.

Suddenly I heard Phil in the background.

"Oh sweetie, I gotta go. Phil just got home and I need to get his dinner together." she said quickly.

"That's fine mom, I'll call you after Anthony makes his appearance." I said leaning into Edward's chest.

"Ok, but you rest before you call me. Promise." she said sternly.

"I promise. I love you mom." I said, feeling the lump return to my throat.

"I love you too sweetie, I'll talk to you soon." she said as I heard footsteps behind her.

"Yeah, bye." I said hanging up the phone.

"You ok love?" Edward asked as I wiped tears from my eyes.

"Yeah, I'm just realizing how hard it's gonna be to say goodbye in a couple of months." I said turning to get a whiff of him. I loved how my husband smelled.

"I know, it will be hard, but I'll be here to help you every step of the way. Ok?" he asked kissing my head.

I just nodded, feeling my eyes getting heavy.

"I'm going to check on Nessie, then I'll be in, but you go to sleep ok?" he requested as he pulled the covers over me.

I just nodded and closed my eyes.

Not five minutes later I felt the bed dip as he climbed in next to me.

I snuggled into his chest and was asleep just moments later.

I rolled over and looked at the clock. It was two in the morning and I had a HORRIBLE gas bubble residing in my lower stomach.

I sat up, looking of my antiacids.

"Bella? Love, what's wrong?" Edward asked sitting up next to me.

"I have a bad gas bubble in my lower stomach." I said nonchalantly still looking for my antiacids.

"Lower stomach?" he asked.

I just nodded, feeling it come back harder.

I rubbed my stomach waiting for it to subside.

When it did, I tried to get up to go look in our bathroom, but Edward suddenly pulled me back on the bed.

"Edward, what's wrong?" I asked getting concerned.

"How long have you had the gas?" he asked.

"I don't know, about half an hour I guess." I replied, getting confused.

"And it comes and goes?" he asked for confirmation.

I just nodded, furrowing my eyebrows.

"And when it comes, does Anthony react to it?" he asked.

I sat and thought a moment before replying.

"Yeah, he gets still at first, then starts moving around alot." I explained.

Suddenly Edward jumped out of bed and came over to my side, putting his hand on my stomach.

"Edward what's going on?" I said, starting to get scared.

He shushed me as he listened to Anthony.

"Ok." he said to my stomach before looking up at me.

"What did you hear?" I asked.

"He said to let you know...he's coming." Edward said grinning.

I grinned back at him.

Anthony was coming. My family was about to be complete.

Edward quickly walked me to Carlisle's study door, and knocked on it.

"Yes?" I heard Carlisle in the room.

Edward opened the door and made eye contact with Carlisle.

"It's time." he stated.

"You're sure Edward?" Carlisle asked standing up.

Edward just nodded.

"Ok get her downstairs and sterilize youself. I'll be down once I change and sterilize." he stated heading for us.

Edward carried me down to Carlisle's office and laid me on the examination table.

He then walked over and got me a cup of ice chips from the freezer in the room, and handed me a changing gown.

He helped me to change clothes before laying me back on the table.

Just as he laid me down on the table, my water bag broke, spilling all over the bed.

I looked at him guiltily, feeling embarrassed. He just smiled, kissed my head and said "I've seen it before, don't feel bad."

Just then Carlisle walked in, dressed in scrubs with gloves on.

"Edward, go get sterilized while I check Bella." Carlisle said walking over to us.

Edward nodded, kissed me and said "I'll be right back." before heading out the door.

It was a little after 10 in the morning, I had been pushing for about 20 minutes, and I was getting tired.

"Ok Bella, I know you're tired, but you're almost there, just a few more pushes." Carlisle said with a smile.

"You can do this Bella, he's almost here." Edward said holding my hand.

I just nodded as I prepared for another push.

I sat back and rested for a moment when Carlisle told me to stop.

"Ok Bella, this is it, one BIG push." he told me.

I nodded, looked at Edward, who leaned down to kiss me quickly, and prepared to push.

A few moments later Carlisle finally told me to stop.

I rested before hearing the most beautiful sound of the day.

Anthony Jacob Cullen had gotten his first gasp of air, and screamed loudly.

I smiled as Carlisle took him over to wipe him off and check him.

Suddenly I saw Alice walk in with Rose. They were both also dressed in scrubs, with their hair non-visible. I looked at Edward confused.

"They're gonna clean up Anthony while Carlisle finishes up with you." he explained.

I just nodded, too tired to form words yet.

After Carlisle delivered my afterbirth and Alice and Rose got Anthony cleaned up and checked out, Rose handed him to me.

He was the most handsome baby I had ever seen.

He had a tuft of auburn hair, just like his daddy, and looked alot like Edward.

I felt Edward's lips on my head as he kissed me.

"You did amazing, I am so proud of you." he whispered in my ear.

"I am too. Congratulations you two." Carlisle said with a smile.

With that, he, Rosalie, and Alice silently left us alone.

I scooted over in the bed, allowing Edward to sit right next to me. Then I moved Anthony so he was laying in my right arm, Edward's left.

Edward then leaned down and set a very gentle, soft kiss on Anthony's head.

Anthony stirred and looked right at Edward.

"Hello to you too." Edward said, smiling.

He then looked up at me, and gave me a passionate, loving, yet gentle kiss.

As we sat there, holding Anthony, I thought about Nessie who was probably having breakfast right about now, then looked at Edward, then Anthony, and smiled, knowing my perfect family was now complete.

**YAY ANTHONY'S HERE! BELLA AND EDWARD'S FAMILY IS COMPLETE! LIKE IT, LOVE IT, OR HATE IT LET ME KNOW. PUSH THAT BUTTON PEOPLES!**


	38. Chapter 38: Jacob and Leah's Big Day

**HEY ALL MY READERS. SO NOW THAT I KNOW THE STORY'S ALMOST DONE I FIND THAT IT'S EASIER FOR ME TO UPDATE AND WRITE, SO I THINK THIS IS GONNA BE DONE REALLY SOON, LIKE END OF NEXT MONTH SOON. I WAS REALLY EXCITED TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER AND HOPE YOU ALL LOVE IT AS MUCH AS I DO.**

**JACOB'S POV:**

I rolled over to snuggle Leah before I get up like I usually do, but she wasn't there.

This threw me for a second before I remembered that she and Harry were over at her mom's last night getting ready for our wedding.

That's right, today, July 15th, was going to be our wedding day.

I was excited, nervous, and happy all at the same time as I thought about this.

I was considering all of this when I heard snoring in the living room.

Seth had slept over here to make sure I could get him to the church on time. That and also to quote Seth, "he couldn't stand being around all that estrogen all night long."

Which I found ironic since he was around Marissa every second of the day. Ever since he imprinted on her he was like all of us, following her around like a little lost puppy, and loving every moment of it.

I rolled over to look at the clock.

The wedding is at 12 noon and it's 8 am now. Might as well get up.

I kicked the side of the couch in an attempt to wake up Seth.

"Seth, time to wake up." I said loud enough for him to hear me.

"Mmm-hmm." he said as he rolled over.

"You better get up soon, or I'm getting the ice water." I threatened.

"Give me five minutes." he mumbled.

"Ok." I said heading for the bathroom.

After my shower I headed into the kitchen to make breakfast.

I heard the tv on, so I knew Seth was watching the news.

I poured my cereal before calling Seth into the kitchen to come fix breakfast.

After we both ate Seth went to take his shower while I called my groomsmen to make sure they would be at the church at 11.

After confirming Quil, Embry, and Sam would all be there I hung up the phone.

"Hey Seth, we need to start getting ready." I called to my best man.

"I know, where's my tux?" he asked standing in the hallway with the towel around his waist.

"In Harry's room hanging in the closet." I informed him.

By the time we had gotten dressed and everything ready it was almost 10:30, so we decided to go ahead and head for the church.

We were greeted at the door by the minister.

"Hello Jacob and Seth, please head upstairs to the first door on the left, the rest of your wedding party is waiting in there for you." he said with a smile.

And he was right, Sam, Quil and Embry were all up there. As was little Matthew, our ringbearer. He was Marissa's little brother so it made Seth happy.

"So how's married life treating you?" I asked Sam.

He and Emily had gotten married last month.

"Great actually, in fact, we're planning on having a baby soon." Sam said with a smile.

"Emily's pregnant?" I asked.

"Not yet, we're planning to start a family soon though." he explained.

"Well, I'm happy for you man." I said giving him a guy hug.

We just sat there shooting bull and talking while we waited for our cue.

I liked moments like this, when it was just us guys, having a good time doing nothing.

Don't get me wrong, I love my wife and child, but sometimes I just need some "me and the guys" time. Thankfully Leah understood this and we agreed she would get some "me and the girls" time, just like I would get some "me and the guys" time.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

The minister popped his head in and smiled.

"Gentlemen, we need to start getting ready so if you will all follow me please?" he requested.

We all got our coats back on headed down the stairs.

I peeked through the doors to look into the sanctuary. It was beautiful.

Leah's favorite flower was lillies so we had fake lillies on all the aisles, and the colors were dark green and a light yellow. I had left all the decorating to Leah and Emily. And they did an amazing job.

I then scanned the aisles at the guests. As I scanned the front row I saw Edward, Bella, Renesseme, and Anthony. I smiled when I saw Edward laugh at something Renesseme did, then kiss Bella, who was holding Anthony. Seeing how blissful they were, I just hope Leah and I stay like that.

I then saw my dad, sitting in his chair. I felt bad that he couldn't be in the wedding, but he had insisted he was happy just watching.

I would have continued scanning, but Seth tapped my shoulder letting me know to step back.

I heard the march start and waited for the doors to open.

When they did, the minister walked down the aisle first. Then Seth and I followed. When we got up to the altar the groomsmen and bridesmaids came next.

Sam escorted Marissa, Quil escorted Gennifer, and Embry escored Ashleigh, two of Leah's friends from our tribe.

Then came our ringbearer, Matthew. Then our flowergirl, Claire, Emily's niece and Quil's imprint.

After that, Emily, Leah's maid of honor.

I briefly saw everyone stand up before I looked down and took a deep breath, preparing myself for this moment.

And then, I looked up, and saw her.

There were not words for how beautiful she looked, or how estatic I felt seeing her beauty.

All the guests, the minister, my bestman, EVERYONE, faded away in the beauty of my love.

I was brought back to reality by the voice of our minister.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join Jacob Ephriam Black and Leah Susan Clearwater in holy matrimony. If there is anyone who can find just cause why these two should not be married, let him speak now, or forever hold his peace." he said.

After a few moments of waiting, and no one speaking up, he continued.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man in holy matrimony?" the minister asked.

"I, her mother in body, and her father in spirit." Sue said before turning to Leah, kissing her cheek, then giving Leah's hand to me.

We then stood in front of the minister together.

"Jacob, Leah, please face each other." the minister requested.

We did so, and as I looked at her, I could see tears in her eyes. I smiled, knowing I was forcing the lump in my throat down as hard as I could.

"Jacob, please repeat after me." the minister requested. "I, Jacob Black."

"I, Jacob Black." I repeated.

"Take you, Leah Clearwater, to be my lawfully wedded wife."

"Take you, Leah Clearwater, to be my lawfully wedded wife." I said smiling.

"To love, and to cherish,"

"To love, and to cherish,"

"For better, for worse,"

"For better, for worse,"

"For richer, for poorer,"

"For richer, for poorer,"

"In sickness, and in health,"

"In sickness, and in health,"

"For long as we both shall live."

"For long as we both shall live." I finished, vowing each word to her, now and forever.

Her tears were now falling onto her cheeks. I felt joy in that I caused her that much happiness.

"Now, Leah, please repeat after me." the minister asked her. "I, Leah Clearwater,"

"I, Leah Clearwater." she repeated.

"Take you, Jacob Black, to be my lawfully wedded husband."

"Take you, Jacob Black, to be my lawfully wedded husband." she repeated.

I could feel the tears starting to form in my eyes.

"To love, and to cherish,"

"To love, and to cherish,"

"For better, for worse,"

"For better, for worse,"

"For richer, for poorer,"

"For richer, for poorer,"

"In sickness, and in health,"

"In sickness, and in health,"

"For long as we both shall live."

"For long as we both shall live." She concluded, vowing each word to me, now and forever.

At this, I felt the tears fall from my eyes, I have never cried out of happiness before, but I liked it.

"The rings please?" I heard the minister request.

After Matthew gave the rings to the minister, he gave me Leah's, and her mine.

"Jacob, as you place this ring on Leah's finger, please repeat after me." he requested. "With this ring, as a token of my eternal love and fidelity, I thee wed."

"With this ring, as a token of my eternal love and fidelity, I thee wed." I vowed to her, not taking my eyes off of hers.

"Leah, as you place this ring on Jacob's finger, please repeat after me." he asked her. "With this ring, as a token of my eternal love and fidelity, I thee wed." he said.

"With this ring, as a token of my eternal love and fidelity, I thee wed." she said, grinning through her tears.

"And now, in the presence of these witnesses, and God, and by the Holy power vested in me by our Lord Jesus Christ, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride." the minister concluded with a grin.

I leaned forward and gave Leah the most passionate, love filled kiss I could.

After we pulled apart I heard the minister say, "I am happy to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Black."

At this, everyone applauded and stood for us.

We took the walk back down the aisle, while I kept giving her pecks on the cheek.

After the ceremony we headed into the banquet hall area for the reception.

After Seth introduced us into the hall we took to the floor for our first dance.

I smiled as I heard the music que up. I had picked this song special, as I felt it explained how I felt about me, Leah, and Harry.

_I hear the wind call your name  
It calls me back home again  
It sparks up the fire - a flame that still burns  
Oh it's to you I'll always return  
I still feel your breath on my skin  
I hear your voice deep within  
The sound of my lover - a feeling so strong  
It's to you - I'll always belong_

Now I know it's true  
My every road leads to you  
And in the hour of darkness darlin'  
Your light gets me through

Wanna swim in your river - be warmed by your sun  
Bathe in your waters - cos you are the one  
I can't stand the distance - I can't dream alone  
I can't wait to see you - Ya I'm on my way home

Oh I hear the wind call your name  
The sound that leads me home again  
It sparks up the fire - a flame that still burns  
Oh, it's to you - I will always return

Ikissed Leah with all the love I could possess at that moment.

"I love you, and Harry, so much." I told her.

"We love you too." she said simply falling into my embrace.

After a few dances of resting Seth came up to Leah.

"May I have the honor of a dance?" he asked extending his hand.

Leah chuckled before taking his hand.

"Of couse you can Seth," she said letting him lead her onto the floor.

"How bout a dance handsome?" I heard a familiar voice behind me.

I grinned as I looked at my second favorite lady.

"Of course Mrs. Cullen." I said with a smile as we walked onto the dance floor.

"If someone told you two years ago we would both be here, happily married with children, would you have believed them?" I asked her genuinely curious.

She chuckled before responding, "No. But I'm glad we are." she said smiling.

"Me too." I replied with a smile.

"I'm glad you found each other Jake, I'm glad your genuinely happy now." she said grinning at me.

"And I'm happy for you Bella. Happy you and Edward have your perfect family now and forever." I said.

We both laughed at my private joke in there.

Suddenly Edward was behind Bella.

"May I cut in?" he asked.

"Sure," I said with a smile, "I'm going to go steal my bride away from Seth now." I said, kissing Bella on the cheek before going over to Leah and Seth and cutting in.

After a few more dances, it was time to go.

We went up to seperate rooms to change into more casual clothes before heading back downstairs.

Sue and Billy were waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs with Harry in Sue's arms. Leah immediately took Harry and starting hugging and kissing him while I shook my dad's hand.

"Jacob, I've never been more proud of you then I am today. You're mother would have been so happy to be here." he said, tears in his eyes.

I started to cry again before I hugged him.

"Thanks dad." I whispered in his ear.

I stood up to take Harry from Leah.

I kissed him fervently and embraced him snuglly. It was going to be hard to be away from him. Even if it was for only two weeks. We were going to Seattle for two weeks for our honeymoon. That way we were far enough away to have "us" time, but close enough that if anything happened with Harry we could be back quickly.

I finally handed him back to Sue and kissed her on the cheek before we headed out to the hall.

Everyone cheered and tossed rice at us as we headed to the doors.

I got Leah into the car then ran around to get in the driver's seat.

"Ready?" I asked her as I started the car.

"Yeah." she said smiling.

As soon as I had the car in gear and we hit the interstate she took my right hand, holding onto it.

I smiled, looking down at our intertwined fingers, knowing that this was the start of our forever.

**SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO? LIKE? LOVE? HATE? Push that button and let me know. More reviews means I'll update faster! Love all of you!**


	39. Chapter 39: Nessie's Birthday

**HEY EVERYONE SORRY I HAVE TAKEN SO LONG TO UPDATE. IF I HAVEN'T BEEN BUSY WITH ONE THING IT'S BEEN ANOTHER AND THEN WHEN I HAD DOWN TIME I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE WRITING CUZ I WAS SO TIRED BUT NOW...HERE IS THE NEXT CHAPTER, HOPE ALL OF YOU READ, LIKE, AND REVIEW!**

**BELLA'S POV:**

Istretchedas I woke up to hear Nessie crying from her room. I started to wonder why I didn't hear Anthony crying too when I heard Edward through the baby monitor talking to him about Anthony's smelly diaper. I laughed to myself as I got up to see what Nessie wanted.

I walked into her room to see her standing up, smiling at me.

"Good morning Birthday Girl." I said picking her up and kissing her cheek before laying her down on her changing table to get her changed and dressed.

That's right. Today was Nessie's first birthday.

I couldn't believe how much had changed in just one short year. This time last year Edward and I were engaged, had just moved in here, and had no idea on how to be parents.

Now, a year later, we were happily married with two beautiful, perfect, healthy children and had this parenting thing somewhat figured out.

And as far as my whole "changing into a vampire" went, Edward was looking into online schools for our cover story now.

I was brought out of my thoughts by my two handsome men walking in the room. Edward's voice pulled me back to reality.

"How is it he only gives me the dirty diapers?" he asked sitting and rocking Anthony while I put Nessie's onesie on.

"Ask him. You're the who can talk to them telepathically." I said smartly.

"Every time I ask him he just laughs at me." Edward said smiling.

"Maybe he's secretly evil like his Uncle Emmett." I said knowing that would get to him.

"More likely his Uncle Tony." Edward said.

"Uncle Tony?" I asked bewildered.

"My biological brother. He died during World War One in 1917. He was 5 years older than me and loved getting me in trouble." He said with a smile remembering his brother.

"You never talked about him before. I thought you were an only child." I said setting Nessie up to drink from me.

"We didn't part on good terms. He and I had different views on the war. The last thing I told him was he was killing himself for nothing. He just nodded, and told me he hoped one day I would understand." he concluded.

"And did you?" I inquired.

He just nodded.

"I finally understood his reasoning. He felt he had to go to protect his family and his country. But at thirteen I couldn't understand that. Now I can." he said looking down at a sleeping Anthony.

And I knew what he meant by now he understood.

I picked up a clean and dressed Nessie and turned to Edward.

"Well," I said getting his attention, "shall we go have breakfast?" I asked.

Edward just nodded as we headed for the door.

Since it was the middle of June we knew it was too hot to cook, so Nessie and I had cereal for breakfast instead while Edward fed Anthony his blood bottle.

We figured out early that Anthony's thirst and hunger was the same as Nessie's. But now Nessie was on solid foods and milk, so I was only feeding Anthony my milk these days.

"So what all do we have planned today?" Edward asked.

"I thought we would just do a small, simple party with family and Jacob, Leah and little Harry." I simply stated.

"And when are they coming over?" he asked.

He had left all the planning of today to me so he had alot of questions.

"I told everyone about 3 this afternoon." I stated.

"Do you need me to do anything?" he asked.

"I ordered some balloons and a cake from the store. Can you go get them around noon?" I requested.

He simply nodded before looking up.

"Anything else?" he asked.

I shook my head as I helped Nessie with her cereal.

"The house is pretty clean so I just have some small stuff to clean around here." I stated as we finished up breakfast.

Edward took Nessie to take her bath while I fed Anthony his milk.

After he ate I took him in his room to be changed.

I guess Edward was right about the dirty diapers. Anthony was just wet for me.

As I put his little pants on over his onesie Edward and Nessie walked in.

We both knew it was a matter of time before those first big steps, so we were helping Nessie walk around, building those little leg muscles.

When Edward went to go get what we needed for the party I worked on the house cleaning.

I had just finished cleaning when Edward walked in.

"Hey, look who I found outside." he said as he walked in.

I smiled as Jacob walked in carrying Harry in his carseat, with Leah and the diaper bag directly behind them.

"Hey you guys." I said hugging them both.

"Hey Bells, how's it goin?" Jacob asked turning around to unbuckle Harry.

"Pretty good. You two?" I asked looking at Leah.

"Alright. Just looking forward to the day I can sleep through the night again." she said with a smile.

I looked at Jacob. "You make your wife get up every night?" I asked sarastically mean.

"I don't have a choice. I gotta be up early for work every day." he explained.

"I know, I'm just teasing." I say as Jacob stands up with Harry.

We sat and talked, and caught up, while the kids all took a long nap.

Around 2:30 me, Leah and Edward went upstairs to get them up while Jacob stayed downstairs in case anyone came in.

After all the diapers got changed and I put Nessie in her birthday outfit we all went back downstairs.

By now Sue, Seth and Charlie had shown up.

After all hugs were issued we heard a knock at the door signalling the last of the guests arrival.

After even MORE hugs were issued we all sat down and laughed, talked, and caught up. I noticed Charlie was unusually quiet, and seemed thoughtful as he looked at all of us.

I was wondering what was on his mind when Edward whispered in my ear.

"I think we should get the cake and ice cream ready." he said.

I nodded and stood to go in the kitchen with him.

"Does Charlie seem oddly quiet to you?" I asked as we got out the ice cream and Edward put the candle on the cake.

"A little, but I wouldn't worry about it. Today is about Nessie, let's focus on that." Edward said before kissing my head.

I just nodded as I grabbed the matches from the top of the refrigerator.

Edward cut of a chunk of cake and put the candle on it before we put that on a little plate for her.

"Ready?" I asked as we lit the candle.

He just smiled and nodded as we walked into the living room.

Alice had stripped Nessie down to her diaper, put a big towel underneath her, and placed her in the middle of the living room so she wouldn't make a mess.

I sat down in front of her as Edward started up the video camera I had gotten from my mom. I then looked up and nodded my head to cue everyone.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Nessie, happy birthday to you." everyone sang.

I then blew out the candle for her and, just like we were hoping, she grabbed the cake and tried to stuff the whole thing in her mouth at once.

Frosting and cake everywhere.

We let her destroy her cake, and added some ice cream to the mess, while we ate our own cake and ice cream.

After we all had our fill Edward and Jacob volunteered to clean up while I gave Nessie a quick rinse off.

We all finished our selective jobs at the same time. Then it was on to presents.

Aunt Alice, Aunt Rosalie, Esme, Renee, Sue and Leah had all gotten Nessie new, bigger size clothes which was much appreciated since she was almost out of the clothes she has now.

Grandpa Charlie got her her first fishing pole, which was funny and sweet at the same time.

Carlisle had gotten her a small play doctor set with tongue depressors, fake bandaids, a baby stethoscope, and some other things.

Uncle Jacob got her a stuffed wolf that looked exactly like Jake in his wolf form.

Uncle Jasper got her The Lion King movies. I knew he liked the big cats so this didn't surprise me.

And Uncle Emmett got her a cute fishing hat that engulfed her whole head.

After all the gifts had been opened and cleaned up we realized it was almost time for dinner.

So we all said our goodbyes so everyone could get home.

As we said our goodbyes I heard Sue invite Jacob, Leah, and Harry over for dinner. At least Leah didn't have to cook tired today.

When I hugged Charlie I asked him, "Dad, is everything ok? You look a little off today."

"Don't worry about me Bells, I'm fine." he said kissing my cheek.

Edward volunterred to fix dinner while I laid Nessie down for another nap and gave Anthony his bath and laid him down too.

I walked in to find a chicken enchilada come steaming off the stove top.

After another amazing meal from Edward I heard Nessie starting to fuss.

"I'll go get her." Edward volunterred since I usually washed the dishes and today there were more because of her birthday.

I had just finished the dishes when Edward walked in.

"Everything ok?" I asked.

"Yeah, she was just wet and it was bugging her. I changed her and she went back to sleep." he said as he wrapped his arms around me.

I rested my head into his chest and sighed deeply.

"Tired?' he asked.

I nodded, "A little, but not enough to go to bed yet." I explained.

"Want to watch the news?" he asked.

I nodded as we walked to the living room.

The news was just ending when I heard my phone ring.

I knew who it was from the ringtone.

"Hey Jake, what's up?" I asked.

"Bella, we've got trouble." he said sounding nervous.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"It's Charlie. He knows about us. Both the Cullens, and the pack."

**OH CRAP! WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN? REVIEW AND FIND OUT SOON! LOVE YOU ALL!**

**I'LL BE HONEST, I DON'T REALLY LIKE HOW I WROTE THIS ONE, BUT LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK PLEASE!**


	40. Chapter 40: Charlie Learns the Truth

**HEY EVERYONE! SORRY I'VE TAKEN SO LONG BUT I THINK YOU WILL LIKE THIS CHAPTER. WE ARE REACHING THE END OF THIS STORY. I'M HAPPY BUT SAD AT THE SAME TIME. I'VE REALLY ENJOYED WRITING THIS, BUT I'M HAPPY TO BE ALMOST DONE TOO. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO...CHAPTER 40: CHARLIE LEARNS THE TRUTH.**

BELLA'S POV:

"What do you mean Charlie knows?" I asked after putting my phone on speaker so Edward could hear too.

"I mean him and Sue swore to no secrets so they were completely honest and Sue felt Charlie had a right to know about Leah and Seth, and it snowballed from there. Once he found out about Leah and Seth, he started asking questions and somehow you two came up in the conversation and Sue told him everything she knows about you as well." Jacob concluded.

I looked at Edward and we both had the same thought: "We are in deep shit!"

"Ok, we will have to go over and talk to Charlie tomorrow. Thank you for the heads up Jake." I said.

"No problem, but I gotta go. Leah's in the shower and I'm taking care of Harry." Jake said.

"Ok, talk to you later then." I said before hanging up.

I looked at Edward and could tell he was thinking hard about this.

"What do we do now?" I asked him, knowing he would know what to do.

"We have to tell him. Everything. About me, the children, and what you are going to be." he said looking forward.

"There's no other way." I said more than asked.

If Edward was saying this I already knew his answer.

"No, he knows too much to come up with a story." he said.

Suddenly I was terrified.

What if Charlie didn't approve? What if he reported them to the authorities? So many "what if's" filled my head that it started to hurt.

Edward must have seen the questions in my eyes because I suddenly felt his lips on my head.

"Don't worry love, it will all work out, I promise." he said.

I tried to believe him but didn't know if I could.

"Let's get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow." Edward said turning off the tv.

I just nodded. I was in shock still.

"I'll go check on the kids, you go get ready for bed." he said as we got off the couch.

I went into the room and got in my pajamas and crawled into bed.

I felt like I was just going through the motions but wasn't fully there.

Edward came in and started getting undressed.

"They're both asleep, Anthony needed a change but Nessie's out for the night." he said crawling into bed.

"I guess today really wore her out." I said as we got into our cuddling position.

Edward chuckled before kissing my head, "You did a great job with her first birthday. Everyone had a great time."

"Thanks baby." I said leaning up to kiss him.

I don't know if it was because we hadn't been intimate in a long time or if it was because of all the things we had to deal with tomorrow, but suddenly I felt like I needed his comfort and love.

After we made love we drifted off to sleep in each others arms.

The morning came way too early for me.

After we got the kids dressed and had breakfast we couldn't put it off any longer.

While I changed the diapers I heard Edward on the phone with Carlisle.

I could tell he was filling him in on what was going.

I had just finished Anthony when I heard Edward walk in.

"Esme will watch the kids while we go to Charlie's." he said picking up Nessie.

"Do we need to take them over?" I asked.

"No, she will come over here." he stated while Nessie tried shoving her fingers in his mouth.

After Esme got there we headed over to Charlie's.

I had been to his place hundreds of time but today I felt like a stranger as we pulled up to his house.

I felt Edward take my hand to pull me back to reality.

"You ready?" he asked.

I shook my head, "no."

"Well, ready or not, it has to be done love." he reminded me as he stroked my hand with his thumb.

"I know," I said letting out a deep sigh, "let's go."

The walk up to the house seemed to take days, the knock on the door sounded like a huge boom, and the footsteps coming to the door sounded like thunder.

Sue opened the door and gave us an apologetic smile before inviting us in.

"Charlie's in the living room," she said as we walked in, "I'm sorry to do this to you both, I really am, but we promised each other no secrets and he's my husband, I had to tell him." she apologized.

"It's fine Sue, I understand." Edward said and placed a hand on her shoulder as we walked into the living room.

Charlie looked up as when we walked into the room.

"Hey dad." I said as we sat down.

He just stared at me, not saying a word.

Edward initiated the conversation.

"Well, we all know why Bella and I are here so let's just get down to it." he said.

Edward told Charlie everthing.

From Carlisle being turned all the way up Nessie and Anthony's special livelihood we had been concealing.

He even told Charlie about our future plans of me being changed and us moving to Seattle to protect our secret.

When all was said and done Charlie just sat there, thinking.

After a few minutes he leaned back, took a deep breath, and opened his mouth to speak.

"This has been alot to take in. I found out last night my stepsons and stepdaughter are secretly werewolves, and now I find out my son-in-law and grandkids are vampires and my daughter is going to be one soon. Thankfully Leah has been able to answer alot of questions." he said, but I knew he wasn't done.

"It hurts me to find out this had been kept a secret from me for so long. Three, almost four years that I've been kept in the dark. I understand why, it just hurts." he said.

"I know dad, but we didn't really have a choice. We needed to keep Edward and our kids safe." I explained.

"I know Bells." he said.

"So...does this change anything?" I asked, afraid of the answer.

"If you mean does this change the way I view you, and your family, then yes. But if you're asking if this changes my love for you, or your family, then no. You are still my daughter, Edward is still my son-in-law, and Nessie and Anthony are still my grandchildren. I will do whatever you need to keep you and your family safe Bella, that will never change." he said, finally smiling.

I smiled through my tears of happiness.

"Thank you dad." I managed around the lump in my throat.

"Your welcome sweetie." he said smiling.

"Well, Charlie, all we ask for is your silence and to help us keep up our story. I am telling everyone we know that Bella and I are moving to New York for me to go to medical school, but I know Bella isn't ready to say goodbye to her family yet, so we are just moving up to Seattle so we can still have people come up and see us." Edward requested.

Charlie sat there for a moment thinking, then nodded.

"I can do that." he said smiling.

"Thank you dad. This means so much to us." I said.

"You're welcome sweetie." he said.

Suddenly I heard Edward's phone ring.

"Hello? Ok, we will be there soon." I heard him say into the phone.

He then turned to look at me.

"Nessie's tired and won't nap for Esme, we should go." Edward explained.

I nodded as we all got up.

I walked over and hugged Charlie.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you dad. I wanted to but..." I said.

"It's ok Bells, I know now and understand why." he interrupted me.

He kissed my head as I pulled away from our hug.

"You ready?" Edward asked as he gently touched my arm.

I just nodded as we walked to the door.

We got in the car and waved bye to Leah and Charlie standing on the front porch.

As we got onto the road I let out a huge sigh of relief and relaxed for the first time since Jacob had called me last night.

Edward took my hand, smiling.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"You have no idea." I said bringing his hand up to kiss.

We just sat and enjoyed our bliss all the way to his parents house.

I opened the door and immediately heard Nessie screaming upstairs.

We came in to see Esme rocking Nessie and trying to feed her.

"I changed her, she won't eat milk, food, or blood, and is so tired she can't fall asleep." she said handing Nessie to me.

"She just missed mommy too much." Edward said walking in with Anthony.

I was about to ask how he knew when I remembered he and Nessie had the mental connection.

Sure enough, ten minutes of me rocking her and she was out like a light.

As soon as I got her to sleep I put her in her crib we had there and we went down to talk with Carlisle in the living room.

I came in and heard Carlisle's voice.

"And he swore to protect our secrets?" he asked, concern dripping out with every word.

"Yes, he loves us too much to harm us." I said walking in.

Carlisle just smiled his polite smile and sighed.

"I hope you're right, I don't want to see anyone get hurt." he said.

"But I trust your father so I will put faith in him." he said with a smile.

After Nessie's nap we took her and Anthony home.

It was too late to fix dinner so we stopped to get chinese on the way home.

After dinner we put in Puss in Boots for the kids while Edward, then I, took our showers, then bathed Anthony and Nessie and got them in their jammies.

Then Edward watched them while I washed the dishes from the day.

I walked back in the living room just in time to see Nessie rub her eyes and try to get her bronze ringlets out of her face.

"You get Anthony, I'll get Nessie." Edward said standing up.

I picked up Anthony from his little seat and grabbed him a blood bottle from the refrigerator before heading into his room.

After his blood bottle and breastfeeding I changed his diaper and after just a few minutes of rocking him while he held daddy's stuffed lion from Christmas he was fast asleep.

I gently laid him in his bed and kissed his head before heading to check on Edward and Nessie.

I got to the door just as Edward was coming out.

"She's asleep too?" I asked.

Edward just nodded as he took me into his arms.

We then headed to bed in each other's arms.

We let each other go long enough to get into our pajamas.

As we laid there, just holding each other I couldn't help feeling like everything was falling into place.

I love my dad and now I didn't have to lie to him anymore, and now he could still see his grandchildren after we moved.

I fought the sleep as long as I could, just wanting to enjoy this moment.

But Edward must have known because he kissed my head and whispered "Sleep." to me.

I just nodded as I nestled into his chest and let sleep overpower me.

**SO WHAT DO YA THINK? I REALLY LIKE THIS CHAPTER AND HOPE YOU ALL DID TOO SO PUSH THAT BUTTON AND LET ME KNOW.**


	41. Chapter 41: Final Planning and Goodbyes

**HELLO ALL MY LOYAL READERS. I CAN'T BELIEVE I ONLY HAVE 2 CHAPTERS LEFT AND THEN THIS IS DONE! I HAVE LOVED WRITING THIS STORY AND AM SAD TO SEE IT END, BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CHAPTER**

BELLA'S POV:

"Bella, we need to make plans." Edward said as we headed up the stairs to get the babies ready for bed.

"I know Edward, as soon as we get them to bed we will sit down and discuss it ok?" I asked.

He just smiled and nodded before kissing Nessie good night, then kissing me.

After I kissed Anthony good night Edward took him in to get him ready for bed as I took Nessie into her room.

I put the clean diaper on Nessie and played tummy raspberries, making her laugh and squirm, before getting her in her pink elephant jammies.

I then took her over to the rocking chair and handed her her pink lion that plays her lullaby.

Ten minutes later her thumb was in her mouth and she was out for the night.

I gently picked her up and laid her in her bed before kissing her head as she snuggled her lion closer.

I closed the door until it was open enough to have us hear her cry, but cut out alot of the light, before heading down the hall to Anthony's room.

I got to the door just as Edward was coming out.

"She's asleep too?" he asked before hugging me.

I just nodded into his chest.

After a minute I felt his chest vibrate as he spoke.

"Let's go make the final plans." he said.

We sat down at the dining room table facing each other.

"Ok, I know we discussed earlier that you're not ready to move too far away from here and I understand that." Edward started the conversation.

"Yeah, that's why we decided on Seattle, that way we are far enough away from anyone who doesn't know our secret, so we won't get caught. But we are also close enough to our family and friends who do know." I agreed.

Edward just nodded before continuing.

"So for our cover-up story we are telling people I have gotten accepted to New York University to further my interest in becoming a doctor and you and the kids are coming with me. That way no one will think to contact us unless it's through email or phone calls." Edward explained.

We both knew it wasn't a total lie though.

Edward HAD been accepted to New York University to get his doctor's degree, but he would be taking all the classes online in Seattle.

"And as far as shopping goes, we both will only need blood to survive, and I know for a fact the grocery store will deliver the food we will need for the children so other than that we won't need to go into town. And we will use an alias name, just in case, so no one knows we are so close to Forks." Edward confirmed.

We had found a perfect place too. Just on the outskirts of Seattle where there weren't many houses or people, so we could hunt as we pleased.

"You made the deposit on the house as well?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's ready for move in, since we are moving next month." Edward confirmed.

"Well, looks like we have it all planned out." I said, slightly sad.

"Bella? You ok?" he asked taking my hand.

"Yeah, it's just gonna be hard to move, Forks has been my home for the past couple years. And it's gonna be hard saying goodbye to mom. At least dad knows so he can visit if he wants, but mom, Phil and Josh don't know." I said, feeling tears come to my eyes.

"I know it's hard baby, but I will help you work through it, I promise ok?" he asked coming over and kneeling next to me.

I nodded as we put our foreheads together.

He kissed me before speaking again.

"I love you Bella, and we will be together forever. I promise." he whispered.

"I love you too Edward, and I can't wait to continue our bliss for the rest of our unnatural lives." I said, smiling at my own joke.

Edward chuckled as well.

Suddenly we heard Anthony fuss in the baby monitor.

"He's probably hungry." I said as we got up to attend to our littlest one.

The next morning we went over to Carlisle's house to explain our final plans.

Alice and Rosalie kept the kids busy and taken care of while we discussed things in Carlisle's office.

"Well, sounds like you have it all planned out." Carlisle said as he sat back in his chair.

"Yes, we do. We've done this so many times before that it's almost too easy now." Edward said.

Carlisle smiled as if there was a private joke between the two of them.

"Yes well, we will be leaving soon as well." Carlisle said suddenly.

"You're moving too?" I asked a little surprised.

"Yes, we will have worn out our time here very soon. People are starting to notice that we are not aging again." he explained.

"Where are you moving to this time?" Edward asked.

"We decided to go live in Alaska with the Denali clan. But not until Bella has control of her new life. That way, we are close enough to help if anything goes wrong, but we are not hovering over you and your family. We can afford one more year here in Forks while you gain control but after that we need to go to Alaska." Carlisle concluded.

Edward nodded in understanding, but I could see the sadness in his eyes.

After we left Carlisle's study I stopped Edward in the hallway.

"You ok?" I asked him.

He nodded.

"Yeah, it's just...I've been with Carlisle and Esme for so long, it finally feels like I'm leaving the family." he explained.

"I know it's hard babe, but I will help you work through it, I promise ok?" I asked repeating his words from last night.

He nodded as we embraced each other.

I kissed him before speaking again.

"I love you Edward, and we will be a family forever. I promise." I whispered.

"I love you too Bella, and I can't wait to be a family togetherfor the rest of our unnatural lives." He said, making us both smile at our joke from the night before.

Edward put the last box in the UHaul as I strapped the kids into the carseats.

The Cullens, Blacks, and my dad and Sue were all here to say goodbye.

I shut the car door and turned to see Jacob and Leah right behind me.

I embraced Jacob with tears in my eyes.

"It's not goodbye forever Bella, just for a while." he reminded me.

I nodded as we pulled away.

"I know Jake, but this is still hard." I told him.

I then turned and gave Leah and Harry a hug.

"Take care of him, he's the brother I never had." I asked her.

"We will Bella, don't worry." She said hugging me a little tighter before letting go.

Next was Emmett.

He hugged me, picked me up and spun me around, both of us laughing the whole time.

"Take care of 'em lil sis." he said kissing my cheek.

"I will Emmett, we'll see you soon." I said turning to his wife.

"Thank you Rose, for everything." I said as we embraced.

"My pleasure." she replied.

As I hugged Jasper I felt a calming sensation come over me.

"Thank you." I whispered in his ear.

He just chuckled and whispered "My pleaure."

Alice looked extremely sad as I hugged her.

"Alice, what's wrong?" I asked her.

"Who am I going to decorate and shop with now?" she asked.

I chuckled at her, "You can come help decorate as soon as we're settled in." I promised her.

That made her eyes light up fast.

Then was Carlisle and Esme.

I hugged them both at the same time.

"I just hope that many years from now, Edward and I are as happy and good parents as you two." I said with a tear in my eye.

"Just keep doing what you are now, and you will." Esme said rubbing my arm.

"I could not be more proud of you and Edward then I am now." Carlisle said smiling at me.

Finally was Sue and dad.

"Be safe, and call us when you get there ok?" Sue requested as we hugged.

"I will, I promise." I told her as we broke our hug.

I turned to my dad to see we both had tears in our eyes.

We embraced and just hugged for a few minutes.

"I'm really gonna miss you dad." I whispered in his ear.

"I'm gonna miss you too Bells. Take care of your family and be safe. For ever I guess." he said.

"I will dad, I promise." I told him.

After a few more minutes I felt a cold hand on my back.

"We need to leave now if we want to make it to Seattle before dark." he told me.

I nodded as I wiped the tears from my eyes and headed to the car.

I double checked to make sure Nessie and Anthony were secure and ready for the trip before getting in next to Edward.

We all waved goodbye until we couldn't see the other anymore.

I then took Edward's hand and he brought it up to kiss my own.

We were on our way to our forever, together.

**THIS IS NOT THE END! I WILL BE WRITING AN EPILOGUE THAT WILL BE 2 CHAPTERS, BUT WE ARE ALMOST DONE! LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THE ENTIRE STORY, WHETHER YOU LIKED, LOVED, OR HATED IT. LET ME KNOW!**


	42. Chapter 42: Conclusion

**Well people, it's finally time. This is the last chapter for Unexpected Surprise. I will admit I have been procrastinating on writing this, it means that this is finally over. I've been writing this for 2, almost 3 years. It's become a part of me and it's hard to let go. Your words of encouragement and kindness have kept me going and now, for all of you, I am finishing. I am happy you all enjoyed my story and hope you find this ending as happy as I feel it will be. And now...The final chapter of Unexpected Surprise.**

**15 years later**

**Bella's POV:**

"Burgers are almost done!" I heard my wonderful husband yell out to our guests.

It was now 15 years later and today we had Jacob, Leah, Harry Jr., and their daughter, Aurora Genieve Black, over for the afternoon.

They had Aurora when Harry was 2, naming her for the dawn since she was born around dawn, and for Jacob's grandma, Genieve.

She is 13 and as beautiful as her mother, with her gorgeous smile and beautiful eyes.

And Harry was the spitting image of his dad, from the jet black short hair, down to the dimple in his chin.

Plus the wolf genes made him very built for a 15 year old teenager.

Yeah, Aurora and Harry were both wolves, just like their parents. They didn't need to phase as often, just whenever a stray rogue vampire came into the area they needed to take care of. But they loved it, there were no questions, no wondering.

And they knew about everything on our side as well.

Nessie was now 16, her little brother 15, and both were doing very well with their... "diets".

Edward trained me during my first year, then we worked on Nessie and Anthony as they grew, matured, and learned about their lifestyle and culture around them.

We were both afraid they would be angry with us, resentful even, that they would never grow past the age of 17 and 18, the ages I was when I had them. But that was far from the truth. They were happy that they would be able to spend eternity with us, always learning, always moving forward, just like their father had taught me to look at it.

Today, like every day, the kids were running around, wrestling and laughing and having a good time while we all sat in the shade and watched, laughing at them and catching up.

This was the first time we had really had a chance to sit down and see each other face to face for about 10 years. Edward and I had to do alot of moving around to hide our secret, but when we found out all the people we knew had either passed on, moved away, or knew our secret, we knew it was safe to come back. So we moved back to Seattle, kept a VERY low profile, teaching the kids in home school due to their never aging, and Edward had a job at the hospital, but only part time so people would take longer to notice his "non-changing", and were very happy.

As soon as we got settled we called up Jacob and let him know we were back and wanted to see the family so we arranged for them to come up for the weekend.

Jacob had just finished telling a funny joke when Harry came up with a confused look on his face.

"Hey buddy, what's up?" Jacob asked setting down his beer.

"Uh, dad, can I talk to you in private?" he asked, fidgeting back and forth looking very uncomfortable.

"Sure, let's go inside and talk." Jacob said patting Harry on the back and walking into the kitchen.

"Wonder what that was about." I said to Leah.

She just shrugged, "I still don't understand boys." she said smiling.

We both laughed since we both knew it was true.

"What's so funny?" Edward asked from the barbecue.

"Girl joke." I simply said winking at him.

He just gave me his million dollar "I love you so much" smile and turned back to the meat.

Suddenly I felt a slight tap on my shoulder and looked up to see Jacob.

"Can you, me, Edward and Leah talk in the living room Bells?" he asked me.

"Is everything ok?" I asked getting worried.

"Yeah, yeah everything's fine just...we all need to talk." he said heading back into the living room.

I walked over to Edward.

"Meat's done." he said turning to me.

"Great, Jacob says he wants to talk in the living room." I told him.

"Is everything ok?" he asked concerned.

"I think so, Jacob won't say yet." I told him.

Edward just nodded and turned to the kids.

"Hey kids, we're gonna be inside for a minute, don't kill each other ok?" he shouted.

"Don't worry dad, whatever bone would get broken can be healed before anyone could blink." Anthony said with a grin.

"Anthony Mansen." I said in my most threatening tone.

He put his hands up as if to surrender, "Ok mom, just kidding." he said smiling.

When we all got into the living room Jacob sat down.

"Ok Jake, what's going on, you're starting to scare us." Leah said sounding nervous.

Jacob took a deep breath before looking right into Edward's eyes.

"Harry imprinted." Jacob finally stated.

"You're sure?" Edward asked.

"Positive, he's nervous around her, feels his entire center is orbiting around her, everything I felt for Leah when I imprinted." he said.

Suddenly I put two and two together.

"Nessie. It's Nessie." I stated already knowing the answer.

Jacob just nodded.

"He told me he felt funny and I asked him what he meant. He started explaining all the EXACT symptoms of imprinting. And when he said he looked at Nessie and felt it even stronger...I knew it was her. Before you get upset remember, we have no control over who we imprint on and I have raised my son to be a very honorable and wonderful gentleman." Jacob said looking at us both, waiting for our answer.

"Jacob can we talk in private for a moment?" Edward asked.

"Sure, we will go talk to Harry." Jacob said standing up with Leah.

I stood up and started pacing. There was just so much going through my head. Harry had imprinted on my daughter. We saw Harry and Aurora as our own children. Nessie was the one I was closest with, due to the rocky relationship her dad and I had when I was pregnant. Did I want Harry to become the closest person for my daughter? Could I let her go like that? I realized that this was going to be the hard part of this situation.

"Bella?" Edward asked bringing me back to reality.

"Yeah?" I asked, wondering what was on his mind.

"Let me in?" he asked, practically pleading.

I opened up the shield we had found out I was able to emit as a vampire, that made it impossible for him to read my thoughts as a human, and let him see all the questions and thoughts bouncing around in my head.

After I had shared everything, Edward came up and kissed my forehead.

"I feel the same way. She's my baby girl, and I'm her number one man. I am trying to be ok with this too. We could tell them no, let Harry just bury his feelings deep down inside and pine after Nessie for the rest of his life." Edward suggested.

"But if we do, neither one of them will be happy. I can hear Harry's thoughts and he wants nothing more than to be Nessie's everything. Friend, boyfriend, husband, lover, father to future children. If that's even possible. He LOVES her Bella. More than anything." Edward said, looking at me the same way he has since the first day I met him...with pure love, admiration, and pure hope that I would understand.

I knew in my heart every word he said was right. I just...needed to let go and accept it. And I know I can.

I just nodded to him and held him close.

"You ready?" he asked me.

"No, but I will be." I told him.

"Jacob, can all three of you come in here please?" Edward called out.

A few moments later Harry, Jacob and Leah came back out.

Edward initiated the conversation this time.

"Harry, Bella and I have talked and we decided to tell Nessie about the imprinting. We will tell her and see how she reacts and go from there ok?" Edward told him.

Harry just nodded as Edward stood up to go outside.

A few moments later Edward and Nessie came back inside.

"What's going on?" Nessie asked.

"Sit down sweetie." I said patting the spot next to me on the couch.

She sat down, looking very wary, not that I could blame her.

"Jacob, I think this is something you need to tell her." Edward said sitting down on the other side of her.

"Ok, Nessie, you remember when your mom and dad explained how me and Leah met? And they explained imprinting?" Jacob asked her, getting started.

"Yeah, it's like the entire earth circles around that one person. They're all you can think about, dream about, or see. It's a wonderful, beautiful thing." she said with a smile on her face.

She was always a die hard romantic, inside and out.

"I'm glad you feel that way, because...Harry has imprinted." Jacob told her.

"That's great! But why are you telling ME?" she asked.

But then realization hit her.

"Unless..." was all she said as she looked right at Harry.

The look they were giving each other said everything, and nothing at the same time.

"Yeah Nessie, it's you." Harry said nervously.

I knew why he was nervous, he was afraid Nessie wouldn't accept him.

But then she did something that surprised everyone.

She jumped up and ran over to hug Harry.

After the shock wore off Nessie let go of Harry and just grinned.

"Do you know how long I've had a crush on you?" she asked, shocking everyone even more.

"Really?" Harry asked, probably the most shell shocked out of all of us.

"Really! I've been hoping for this since before you became buff." Nessie informed all of us.

At this comment we all started laughing, from relief and excitement, as Harry and Nessie embraced again.

Jacob's voice brought us all back.

"Ok, kids let's sit back down and talk about this." Jacob said.

Edward scooted closer to me, and Harry sat next to him, Nessie sitting on his lap.

"Now, I know this is a wonderful, exciting thing for both of you. But understand you don't need to act on anything right now. You're both still kids and can just enjoy dating and seeing each other until you're older. Then if you decide to get married and spend the rest of your lives together we will fully support you. Even if you don't want to get married, but still be together." Jacob said, concluding.

"Thanks dad, I think we just wanna be together right now, and will discuss the future as it comes." Harry said.

"Exactly." Nessie said smiling.

"Ok, great." Jacob said smiling.

Suddenly we heard Anthony in the yard.

"Mom, Aurora is starting to drool over me, can we eat yet?" he called.

I just chuckled and smiled. I wouldn't be surprised if they were next for imprinting.

"Yeah, let's go eat." I said as we all got up and headed outside again.

**5 YEARS LATER**

**RENESSEME'S POV:**

I couldn't believe today was happening.

I mean, I could because it was happening, but I was sure the shock was never going to wear off.

You see, today, Harry Black and I were getting married.

We had found out 5 years ago that he had imprinted on me, then we dated through high school, and we're now attending the same college, me through the computer, him through the campus. We had been dating for 4 years when he proposed.

We were up on a special place in the mountain that had become "our spot".

We were sitting there enjoying each other's company, when he suddenly said "You know, in this moment, I'm thinking about our folks."

This threw me for a moment.

"We are here, alone, in our special romantic place, and all you can think about is our parents?" I asked, getting a little ticked.

Harry just chuckled.

"Not like that baby. Just...how happy they are. I mean, the love that you can just SEE in their eyes when they look at their spouses. Your mom and dad, as well as mine. I just hope to have that with you forever." he said kissing the back of my head.

I turned my head to look at him.

"Well I'm not going anywhere." I assured him.

"I know, and I want to make sure of that...forever." he said suddenly looking serious.

"What do you mean?" I asked, not sure where this was going.

Suddenly Harry set me up so I was on my knees looking down at him, as he was still a little closer to the ground.

"Renesseme, I love you, and want to be with you for the rest of our...unnaturally long lives. I couldn't imagine my life with anyone else and I hope you feel the same way. Enough at least..." he reached into his pocket. "To say yes." he said as he took my hand and stood us both up before he knelt down to look up at me.

Suddenly I saw the beautiful ring in his hand and realized what was happening.

And couldn't be happier.

"Renesseme Cullen, will you marry me?" he asked.

I couldn't say yes fast enough that day.

And after a year of planning, saving money, and support from our family we were here today.

I was getting prepped by Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie as Mom got ready in the other room.

The only sad thing about today was that Grandpa Charlie wouldn't be here.

He had passed ealier this year from a heart attack and wouldn't be able to celebrate with us.

But Grandpa Carlisle, Grandma Esme, Grandma Renee, Grandma Sue, Grandpa Phil, Uncle Joseph, Uncle Emmett, Uncle Jasper, Uncle Seth, Mom, Dad, Uncle Jake, Aunt Leah, Anthony, and Aurora were all here today.

Mom and Dad had decided to tell Grandma Renee and Grandpa Phil the truth when they wanted to come visit me and Anthony one year. They felt it was wrong to keep them out of their grandchildren's lives and knew they would keep our secret. It was better this way, Anthony and I got to know our grandparents and uncle, and as long as the Volturi was kept in the dark, no one's lives were ever in danger.

"You excited?" Aunt Alice asked me.

"Nervous actually." I confessed to her.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Aunt Rosalie assured me as she put the final touches on my hair.

"Dad won't let you fall, just like grandpa on my wedding day. And Harry couldn't be happier for today." I heard my mom say from the door way.

I looked over to her and smiled.

"Oh sweetie, you're so beautiful." Mom said as she came over and hugged me from the back.

"Thanks mom." I said enjoying the hug.

"Just don't smudge my masterpiece." Aunt Alice warned as she walked over to grab my dress.

"Don't worry Alice, she would be beautiful even if I smudged it." my mom said kissing my cheek.

The dress was exactly what I wanted, a beautiful white, strapless dress that hugged my form perfectly, and slightly cascaded out around the hips, with ruffled appearance on the outer most skirt.

After I put my dress on Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie left to get dressed so it was just me and mom in the room.

"Mom, I have a question." I said, a little nervous.

We talked about everything but this was still an awkard question for me to ask.

"What is it sweetie?" she asked.

"Do you think that I will be able to have kids? Harry and I were talking about it and we hope we can, but if not we will look into adoption." I asked, not sure of the answer.

"Honestly sweetie, I don't know. I mean, you are half vampire and we both know your menstrual cycles are there, but not consistent. You only cycle about 2 to 6 times a year. So, maybe, but like you and your brother, it's something that we don't have a definite answer on yet. But if I was able to have 2 healthy, happy children, anything is possible." she said smiling.

I just smiled and hugged her.

"Thanks mom." I whispered in her ear.

Suddenly we both heard a knock at the door.

"Are we interrupting?" dad asked.

"No, come on in." I said turning around to let him see me.

"Bella, I think you're no longer the most beautiful woman in my life." Dad said talking my hand and having me twirl.

Me and mom both laughed at that.

"That's fine with me, she IS gorgeous." mom said grinning.

As dad hugged me we all heard Anthony clear his throat.

"It's almost time." he reminded us.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm all the nerves that were now rushing through my system.

"It's gonna be fine." mom assured me before kissing my forehead.

"You and Anthony better head down, we follow after Aurora and Anthony." dad said walking over to me.

Mom kissed my cheek one more time, smiled at me, and said "I love you sweetie." before heading out the door.

Anthony came over and hugged me and just smiled and said "Good luck." before he headed out as well.

"You ok?" dad asked me as I turned and started to pace.

"Yes, and no." I said starting to wring my hands together.

"I'm nervous that he's not gonna be at the alter." I confessed to him.

"Renesseme, I went in to see Harry a few minutes before coming in here. He is worried about the exact same thing, but he's willing to go out there and wait for you. Are you willing to walk out there to him?" he asked me.

I already knew the answer and just nodded, knowing that it was the right answer.

"Alright then." Dad said smiling and embracing me.

Suddenly we heard a knock on the door.

"It's time." Aunt Rosalie told us.

"Ready?" dad asked me as he pulled me back a bit.

I just nodded as he took my arm to lead me down the stairs.

We were luck enough to be able to have the ceremony and reception at mom and dad's place.

Uncle Jasper had gone through the online paperwork to become an ordained minister so he would be performing the ceremony today.

I honestly wouldn't have that any other way. It was just the way I wanted today. It was just family and our closest, most intimate friends. A small, simple ceremony just for us.

Mom was walked down the aisle with Uncle Jacob and Aunt Leah, then was Aurora, my maid of honor. Anthony was up next to Harry as his best man.

"Just don't let go yet daddy." I whispered so only he could hear me.

"I'll never let go of your heart princess, just...share it with someone new." he assured me by squeezing my hand.

We received the nod from Emmett that it was time to walk out.

"Ready baby?" dad asked me.

"Yeah." I whispered as I put one foot in front of the other.

The steps were like lead, each one heavier than the next.

Then, I looked up, and saw it.

That pure, wonderful love that filled Harry to the brim, spilling out of his eyes in the form of tears.

In that moment if dad hadn't had a hold of me I would have run up to the alter and embraced Harry in that moment and never let go.

But I had to take my time, walking down the aisle to let everyone "ooh and ahh"over me, according to Aunt Alice at least.

We finally reached Uncle Jasper, Anthony... and Harry.

I felt dad squeeze my hand before raising it up to kiss it, then kissing my forehead and looking me in the eyes.

"I love you, now and forever. Never forget that." he softly reminded me.

I just nodded and kissed his cheek.

"Love you too daddy, now and forever." I told him.

He then looked at Harry.

"You take care of her. Promise me." he pretty much ordered Harry.

"I promise sir, until the day I take my last breath, I will protect her and take care of her." he swore to dad.

Daddy just nodded before taking my hand, and giving it to Harry.

Harry squeezed my hand and gave a beautiful smile before we turned and stepped forward to Uncle Jasper.

"Please be seated everyone." he requested.

"Thank you all for coming today. We are here today to join together two people, as well as two lives. Harry Jacob Black, and Renesseme Elizabeth Cullen." Uncle Jasper said.

"Harry, if you would please repeat after me." he requested.

Harry simply nodded and turned to look at me.

I didn't hear Uncle Jasper, just Harry's voice.

"I Harry Jacob Black, do solemnely swear to take Renesseme Elizabeth Cullen as my lawfully wedded wife, to honor, cherish, love, nurture, and protect her all the days of my life. I love you Nessie." he concluded, using my nickname.

I felt the tears start to roll from my eyes and silently thanked Aunt Alice for applying tear proof mascara today.

Suddenly I heard Uncle Jasper's voice.

"Renesseme? Repeat after me please?" he asked me.

I nodded and tried to listen for his voice, but knew the words by heart, because they came from my heart.

"I Renesseme Elizabeth Cullen, do solemly swear to take Harry Jacob Black as my lawfully wedded husband, to honor, cherish, love, nurture, and protect him all the days of my life. I love you too baby." I whispered that last part.

"And now, for the rings?" I heard Uncle Jasper request.

I turned to Aurora to get Harry's ring from her, then turned back to face him again.

"Harry, please place the ring on Renesseme's finger as you repeat these words: With this ring, as a token of my unending love and devotion, I thee wed."

Harry repeated the words, never looking away from my eyes.

"With this ring, as a token of my unending love and devotion, I thee wed." he swore to me.

Then it was my turn.

I, once again, didn't hear Uncle Jasper but knew the words exactly.

"With this ring, as a token of my unending love and devotion, I thee wed." I swore to Harry, now and forever.

"And now, by the power vested in, and by all the witnesses here today, I now pronounce you man and wife. Harry, you may kiss your bride." Uncle Jasper said with a huge grin on his face.

In the moment when my husband kissed me for the first time, time stood still. It was the most wonderful, exciting, and romantic moment of my entire life up to that moment.

After a few moments we started hearing the applause and came back to reality.

I kissed him on the cheek before we started walking back down the aisle, this time as husband and wife.

The reception was perfect. We danced with everyone there. I danced with Uncle Emmett, Uncle Jasper, Uncle Seth, Grandpa Carlisle, Grandpa Phil, Uncle Joseph, and Anthony. While Harry had danced with Mom, Aunt Leah, Grandma Renee, Grandma Esme, Aunt Alice, Aunt Rosalie, Grandma Sue, and his sister Aurora.

I was dancing with Harry for the fifth time that night when we suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Mind if I cut in?" dad asked.

"Of course sir." Harry told him, kissing my hand before giving it to dad.

"You want to stand on my toes like you did when you were little?" he asked me grinning.

In response I smiled and gently placed the toes of my shoes onto his and laid my head into his chest.

"I'm gonna miss this, being the only man in your life, seeing you in your jammies at breakfast, hearing you and Anthony give each other a hard time every 5 minutes, all those things I didn't realize I would miss, til now." he told me, kissing my head.

"Daddy, we're not moving very far away, just a few miles out of town." I reminded him.

"I know, it still seems like miles and miles away to me sweetheart." he said making his embrace just a little tighter.

The song ended, and the next thing we heard was Aunt Alice's voice.

"Alright, if everyone would have a seat, we are going to do the toasts and then serve dinner." she said with her beautiful grin on her face.

We had arranged for it to be just our parents and Anthony and Aurora. It wasn't that we didn't want other people to make toasts, it's just the way we planned it.

First to go up was Harry's dad and mom.

"Well, first off we just want to thank everyone for coming tonight. And wish to make a toast to the new couple. When Harry was born me and Leah hoped and prayed that one day he would find someone he could love as much as we love each other. And now, we couldn't imagine anyone better for him than Renesseme. Just like we know he is perfect for her. Me and mom wish you all the luck, happiness, and joy in the entire world. May you have many happy years together. To Harry and Renesseme." Jacob concluded holding up his champange glass.

"To Harry and Renesseme." everyone repeated.

Then Leah stepped up to the microphone.

"Well, Jacob said most of it, I just want to say I love both Harry and Renesseme and hope them all the happiness and love in the world." Leah said, blowing us both a kiss.

"To the bride and groom." Leah said, raising her glass.

When they stepped down, mom and dad got up to give their speeches.

Dad stepped up to the micrphone first.

"When I met Bella, I didn't think I could love another woman more. Then Renesseme was born. The moment I looked at her...I fell in love with her. It's been hard admitting another man loves her now, and I must share my little girl, but I know Harry is a good man who will take care of her, and love her, and protect her now and forever. So...I give her to you Harry, take care of my baby girl. And Renesseme, I love you now and forever and ask you to take care of Harry as well. To the happy couple." Dad concluded, holding up his glass.

Next was mom's turn.

"When Renesseme was born I didn't want to ever let go of her. Probably because I knew this day was coming. Like Edward, it's hard to let go, but I know I'm giving her to a wonderful man who will take care of her, now and forever. All the best to both of you. Renesseme, your dad and I love you with all our hearts, now and forever. And Harry, welcome to our family, and take care of her. That is your charge from us. To Renesseme and Harry." Mom said with a smile and a raised glass.

After the toasts we had a light dinner, then me and Harry went to change our clothes and get our bags.

Grandpa Carlisle and Grandma Esme were letting us use their Isle for our honeymoon. It's so quiet and secluded we felt it would be perfect for us.

Uncle Jasper took my bags from me at the bottom of the stairs to put them in the car.

I was checking my purse to confim I had our plane tickets when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"You ready?" Harry asked me, taking my hand.

I just smiled and nodded my head.

We headed out, through the confetti and bubbles, to see our parents waiting by the car.

Harry released my hand to go hug his parents while I fell into mom and dad's combined embrace.

"Have fun, be careful, and let us know when you get there." mom whispered in my ear.

I just nodded, assuring her I would.

"Love you Nessie, and we will see you soon." daddy whispered in my other ear.

I felt the tears start to flow as I swallowed the lump in my throat and simply nodded.

"He's waiting for you." dad whispered.

And I knew he was literal as well as figurative in his comment.

I kissed them both on the cheek.

"I love you both so much and I will let you know when we get there." I assured them both.

I then turned to see Harry holding the door open for me, as well as holding his hand out for me.

I took his hand, which he kissed with a grin on his face, and let him help me into the car.

He then got into the driver's seat and started the car.

"You ready?" he asked me.

"Yeah, now and forever." I assured him.

We waved to everyone as we drove out of the driveway.

We were about 5 minutes away when I got a text message.

It was from Dad.

'Just wanted to say one more time, we love you. And you were the best Unexpected Surprise we could have ever gotten.'

I sent a text back.

'Love you and mom too. And I will always be your Unexpected Surprise daddy.'

And with that I put my cell phone away, grabbed Harry's hand, brought it up to kiss it, and celebrated the life I had, and the life we had ahead, together.

**WELL EVERYONE, THERE IT IS, THE FINAL CHAPTER OF UNEXPECTED SURPRISE. I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR READING, I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THIS STORY AS MUCH AS I ENJOYED WRITING IT. I DO HAVE ONE REQUEST. EVERYONE WHO READS THIS LAST CHAPTER, PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THE CHAPTER AS WELL AS THE WHOLE STORY. I REALLY WANT TO KNOW. BUT THANK YOU FOR READING AND SINCE IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!**


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